Step Beyond the Abyss
by N. T. Martin
Summary: A Evangelion fanfiction that explores the symbols and meanings behind love, friendship, betrayal, and just being human. While NERV takes on the creatures known as Angels, outside forces plot against them. Love. Hate. Compassion. Prepare to Step Beyond
1. Haven's Gate

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The Characters and concept of Neon Genesis Evangelion are property of Gainax. I created this "scenario" in the spirit of the TV series and manga. I made it in the hope that it would open up people's minds and give something to a series that really touched me. This little series that I have created is a piece of fan fiction thought up by yours truly, so if you are going to copy or distribute this work, please give credit where it is due, k? Now enjoy!  
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Evangelion: Step beyond the Abyss   
Heaven's Gate/The Human Dilemma   
By N.T. Martin  
  
  
  
(It is quiet outside, save the gentle roar of rain falling. Within the apartment of Major Misato Katsuragi, the Second and Third Children are doing what they can to fight boredom.)  
Asuka: This is so unfair! I should be outside enjoying the warm weather and the sky falls! You Japanese have such weird weather patterns!  
(Asuka Langley Soryu is laying on her back, staring up at the television with an equally bored Pen-Pen at her side.)   
Shinji (quietly): It is not strange. It rains everywhere.   
(Shinji Ikari is reading a physics book at the kitchen table, turning the page without looking up at his annoyed roommate.)  
Asuka: Leave it to you to be contrary, baka.   
(Asuka grabs the remote and switches the channel.)   
Asuka: I wish that Misato would get home, already.   
Shinji: (turning another page): Why is that?  
(Asuka lifts her head off the floor.)  
Asuka: At least there would be something to do! You are about as fun as a stump!  
Shinji (sighing): I'm sorry.  
(Asuka sits up, her back is to the TV.)   
Asuka (angry): What are you apologizing for?! You are always apologizing!  
Shinji (sadly): I'm sorry-Ouch!  
(Young Ikari stumbles out of his chair as he is hit in the head by the pillow Asuka had been using up to that point.)  
Asuka (sighing loudly): Boys are stupid!  
(Asuka's body makes a loud thud as the girl lays back down, while Shinji sits on the floor, rubbing his head.)  
-------------------------------  
(Within the inner sanctuary of Commander Gendo Ikari, the commander of NERV sits, gazing out at the sprawling etching of the Tree of Life. Commander Ikari's hands are folded just under his nose.)  
Fuyutsuki (sighing, with his hands behind his back): Dr. Akagi reports that fifty percent of the data was stolen before the hacker was detected. It would seemed that Seele is seeking...insurance. How long before they decide to take the Geo-Front by force?  
Gendo (calmly): Has the spy been found, yet?  
Fuyutsuki (looking over at the younger man): Not yet. It is only a matter of time, though. Whoever it was, they did not count on the vigilance of the MAGI.  
Gendo: Once again, Man's arrogance will lead to his downfall. I expect that this will be more efficient than the last time.  
Fuyutsuki (thinking): You bastard...  
Fuyutsuki: We already have a lead. We will have the spy within the hour.  
(Gendo grins beneath his hands.)  
Fuyutsuki (turning toward Gendo once more): ...will you be making your...visit today?  
Gendo: ...I have other things to see to.  
Fuyutsuki: Is that wise? The boy-  
Gendo (softly): I will handle my business as I see fit. I am sure that they will understand.  
Fuyutsuki (thinking): And in that is your curse, Ikari.  
---------------------------------  
(Shinji stands up from the table after looking at his watch. He bites his lip slightly before looking over at the girl on the floor. She is on her stomach now, swinging her legs restlessly.)  
Shinji: ...  
(Asuka ignores him for a full ten seconds before looking over her shoulder, obviously irritated.)  
Asuka (annoyed): What?  
Shinji: ...I...um...will be going out for a while.  
(Asuka looked out the window, then back at the boy.)  
Asuka (her eyes wide): What are you, stupid? It's pouring outside!  
Shinji: I-I know. It's important!  
(Asuka turns back on her stomach.)  
Asuka: You're weird. Go ahead! Catch your death of cold! I don't care.  
Shinji: ...Asuka...   
(Asuka sighs loudly and looks over her shoulder again.)  
Asuka (her nose high): What? You're still here? If you want me to go outside with you, forget it! I might be bored, but I'm not dumb.  
(Shinji opens his mouth, but couldn't meet the redhead's fierce gaze.)  
Shinji: ...nevermind...forget it...  
(Asuka watches as Shinji walks slowly to his room and returns a moment later with a bouquet of white flowers. The Second Child's eyes widen for a moment and her heart skips a beat.  
Asuka (shaken): W-Who are those for?  
(Shinji gazes sadly down at the flowers.)  
Shinji (quietly): Someone very important.  
(Shinji walks to the hall and begins putting his shoes on. Asuka then realizes that Shinji didn't intend on giving her the flowers.)  
Asuka (furious): Fine! Go see this special someone! I hope you do catch your death of cold out there!  
(With that, Asuka jumps up and stomps back to her room. Shinji flinches when he hears the door slam down the hall.  
Shinji (whispering): Asuka...it's not...  
(The boy shakes his head and reaches out slowly, opening the apartment door.)  
------------------------------------  
(Not far from Katsuragi's apartment, there is a pale form in the drenching rain.  
Rei: ...  
Rain...like tears  
Tears from heaven.  
Is the sky crying?  
(The young EVA pilot is in her school uniform, which has become soaked to the skin, but the girl doesn't mind. She turns her face into the wind and closes her eyes, as if listening.)  
Rain  
Liquid  
Flows  
Like RED  
I do not like red that flows.  
But rain  
Clear is the Rain  
Like tears.  
Symbolizing pain.  
(Ayanami's eyes flicker under her closed lids. Suddenly, the image of Shinji flashes into her mind. His eyes are filled with tears, but he is smiling.)  
Tears of joy.  
These...  
I do not know.  
(The wind stirs her dripping skirt, but Rei does not notice this. She opens her eyes and begins walking, fading away into the sheets of rain.)  
---------------------------------------  
(Within the Command Center of NERV Central, Misato walks in stretching her arms over her head. She is somewhat surprised when she sees Dr. Ritsuko Akagi working around one of the three super-computers that make up the MAGI.)  
Misato (yawning): Good morning, Ritsuko. What are you doing here?  
(The blond doctor turns away from the massive, housing unit that holds the Magus Casper.)  
Ritsuko: Visiting Mother.  
Misato (blinking): Huh?  
Ritsuko (chuckling): Never mind, didn't get much sleep last night, I see.  
Misato (picking up a mug with the NERV insignia on the side): Yeah, well, you know how it is. Being a military woman doesn't give me much time to have fun.  
(Misato poured some coffee from the pot nearby into the mug. Sighing, the Major sits down in a vacant chair at the control console and takes a sip. She promptly spits it back in.)  
Misato (coughing): What the hell is in this stuff? Is someone trying to kill us?  
Ritsuko (sighing): I'm sorry, it is the flavor that I use to get me started in the day. I wasn't counting on someone else drinking it.  
(The doctor sits down on the rolling chair next to Casper. The Magus' innards are exposed and the massive housing unit is raised for easy access. Ritsuko picks up the laptop that sits next to the chair and began rattling in commands.  
Misato (sipping carefully): So...what are you doing?  
Ritsuko (not looking up): The MAGI's annual check-up. While the MAGI are high technology, they are also high maintenance. They require annual tune-ups every few months or every other Angel attack, which ever comes first.  
Misato: ...Is it safe to have the MAGI...like this?  
Ritsuko: This is the price of constant vigilance, Major. It is better to know if there is something wrong now, than waiting until it can really catch us.  
Misato: Hmmm.  
(The door of the command center slides open and Maya Ibuki walks in. The young woman sees Misato and smiles in welcome. She is carrying two steaming mugs.)  
Maya: Hello, Major. I brought you something drinkable.  
(Misato puts down her mug eagerly.)  
Misato: Oh, you are a lifesaver, Maya!  
Ritsuko (sighing): You never did like my special brew...  
-----------------------------------  
(Far off the coast of Japan, a geological vessal, the Tempest, is anchored while those onboard study their unusual find.)  
Scientist A: I don't think that I have ever seen this before-  
Scientist B: I don't think anyone has.  
Scientist A: What do you think? Hot spots don't just move without warning like that, it takes time. A lot of time!  
Scientist B: Then how do you explain the trail?  
Scientist A: I don't know! I mean, if I didn't know better, I would say that I was looking at the gopher tunnels that my wife is always complaining about!  
(The two geologists are looking at the camera picture from the remote probe they had sent down to the ocean floor. The smothering tunnel was huge, about as wide as several football fields lined up length-wise.)  
Scientist A (stroking his beard): Perhaps we had better get a sample. We might be able to understand what the hell is going on down there if we had something to use as a reference.  
Scientist B: Already ahead of you.  
(The probe zoomed closer to the bulging ocean floor and a reinforced claw reached out for the sample.)  
Scientist A (pointing): What the hell is that?  
(The two scientists lean in close to the screen.)  
Scientist B: It looks like some sort of glowing ball. Maybe a bit of magna has burned to the surface.  
(The claw of the probe reached out and touched the glowing globe. The screen suddenly went blank with static and the two just stared at it.)  
Scientist A: What happened?  
(They could now feel a shuttering under their feet and they looked at each other.)  
Scientists A and B: An erruption?!  
(They turned away from the flickering screen and ran outside to the deck. They gaped as the water exploded around them and a gigantic, fleshy shape emerged from the sea...)  
---------------------------------------  
Shinji: ...  
(The rain rattles down on the umbrella over his head and on the ebony tombstone before him. The rain, unfortunately, is coming down sideways so that the umbrella isn't doing much good.)  
Shinji (thinking): He didn't come. It is like before...when I ran away. Mother. The one who had bonded us together, even when neither of us wanted it.  
(The boy's hand tightens on the umbrella as he fights the tears.)  
Shinji (thinking): I shouldn't be surprised, but-but I thought-  
Rei: You are crying again.  
(The Third Child yelps and spins to see who had intruded on his silence. Fierce words die as he sees Rei standing before him.)  
Shinji (softly): Ayanami...  
(The blue-haired girl's red eyes gaze at him.)  
Rei: You cry often, Pilot Ikari.  
Shinji (wiping his eyes with the back of his hand): W-What are you doing here, Rei?  
(He suddenly notices that she is standing the rain with no protection.)  
Shinji: Where's your umbrella?  
Rei: I did not bring one.  
Shinji: It's raining!  
(The boy awkwardly moves closer to Rei and lifts the umbrella so that it protects the two of them. The action also forces Shinji to come very close to the First Child. Her red eyes watch him as he adjusts his grip so that the rain is not hitting her in the face anymore.)  
Rei: ...Why did you do that?  
Shinji (surprised): Huh? What?  
Rei (her eyes lowering to look at his now damp shirt): Why did you come closer?  
Shinji (eyes wide): Well...um...because you were getting wet.  
Rei: The water was not harming me.  
Shinji: It is common courtesy to share something like an umbrella if there is only one.  
(The boy scratches the back of his head.)  
Shinji: You were...well, getting soaked-  
Rei (softly): I was already wet.  
Shinji (eyes up and away from Rei's): Yeah, well...um...  
Rei (very softly): Thank you.  
Shinji (face very hot): Yeah, sure. No problem.  
(For a long time, there is not a word spoken. Shinji gazes up at the umbrella, wondering when the rain will let up. Rei gazes up at Shinji, her eyes watching the moisture dry on his cheeks. Then, slowly, her eyes lower to his hand, to the flowers.)  
Rei: ...  
Shinji (looking down): Oh, these? These are for...my mother. She passed away a long time ago.  
Rei: ...Com...  
Shinji: Huh?  
Rei: ...Commander Ikari's...wife...  
(Her eyes do not sway from the flowers.)  
Shinji: ...He was supposed to come here...like before...  
Rei: ...he has...  
Shinji: What?  
Rei (a drop of rain curves down her cheek): ...he has forgotten...pain...  
(That was when the sirens went off...)  
-----------------------------------  
Ritsuko: Okay, Maya, try the F-2 program. Let's see if it takes.  
Maya (her fingers dancing over the keys of her own laptop): Yes, ma'am.  
(Misato leans forward, watching Ritsuko and Maya work as one. She can hear the sound of Casper digesting the program and reacting.)  
Maya: Casper is responding within the predicted range.  
Ritsuko: Hmmm...the level two self-diagnostic subsystems seem to be a little slow right now.  
(The doctor's fingers blur across her keyboard and Misato almost finds herself being dazed by the monotone sound. She also knew that she was stalling. She still had a mountain of papers waiting for her in her office from the last Angel attack. She was seriously considering hiring some secretaries to handle the paperwork.)  
Ritsuko (almost to herself): This is strange. I don't know what could have caused a lapse like this. Only thing that comes close to this-  
(Suddenly, klaxons blare and the holographic screens flicker to life. The skeleton crew on-duty blink in surprise as they try to understand what is going on.)  
Misato (jumping to her feet): An attack?!  
(Suddenly, just as the alarms came, they went. Not only did the holographic screens die, but the lights in the command center as well. The sound of machines running down seems very loud in the chamber.)  
Misato: What happened?! Status report!  
Tech A (shouting): Major! We've got nothing! Radar, Infrared, and power are all dead! We are dead in the water!  
Misato (shocked): What?! How can this be?!  
(Misato looks over at Ritsuko who is blinking like she has just awoken from a dream.)  
Ritsuko: This doesn't make any sense. The back-up generators should be coming online!  
Misato (angry): What did you do?  
Ritsuko (shaking her head in slow disbelief): This isn't my fault! The program I just ran is a Diagnostic program, not an offensive one! This shouldn't be happening!  
Misato (her face grim): Well, you had better figure out what is going on, Dr. Akagi, because it would appear that we are under attack!  
--------------------------------------  
Touji: That's strange. There were alarms, then nothing.  
Hikari (looking out the window of her kitchen): Maybe it was a drill or a malfunctioning computer.  
(Hikari has finally gotten Touji to come to her household for an actual meal. Nothing fancy, since Asuka always said that it was never smart to put too much into impressing a man.)  
Hikari: ...  
Touji (looking at the table): ...  
Hikari: I hope...it was only a false alarm.   
(The girl is desperately trying to fill the silence. It is one thing to order Touji around in school. That was her job. It was something totally different when she actually has him in her own home.)  
Touji: ...yeah.  
(Hikari bites her lip and begins to drain the rice in the sink. She watches the cloudy liquid funnel down the drain and begins filling the bowl again.)  
Touji (uncomfortably loud): I would like-  
(The boy stops when he sees Hikari jump at the volume of his voice. He takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself.)  
Touji (gentler): I...would like to thank you for having me over. You really...  
(He pauses, trying to remember what his little sister had told him to say.)  
Touji: ...you really shouldn't go through so much trouble.  
Hikari (sighing very softly): It is no trouble...Touji. I always make too much...anyways.  
(Hikari is glad that her back is to Suzuhara or he was sure to see that she is blushing.)  
Touji (rubbing the back of his neck): Yeah, um...well, I am glad...uh...that you invited me. Your cooking reminds me-  
Hikari (her hands going still): "Reminds" you...?  
Touji: Of how mother used to cook.  
(Hikari blinks and feels her face burn. The room fills with silence that is only broken by the sound of gently running water. Then...)  
Hikari (nervous): Suz-T-Touji?  
Touji: Hmmm?  
Hikari: Y-You aren't going to be piloting again, are you?  
Touji (blinking): Piloting...  
Hikari (very quiet): EVA. You aren't ever going to pilot an Evangelion again, are you?  
Touji (leaning back in his chair): I don't think so.  
(Even as he says it, he feels the dark tide rise within him. EVA Unit 03. He had seen the video footage...once. Once was all that he had been able to take before he had gotten sick all over the Debriefing room floor. Asuka had glared at him and looked away in disgust. Rei had been quiet, but she was always quiet...gazing at the image of EVA unit 03 with indifferent eyes. Shinji...well, Shinji had been absent.)  
Touji (gazing at Hikari's stiff shoulder, thinking): I wonder how much she knows? Does she know what happened to me?  
(Touji suddenly wants to protect the class rep. It sounded silly, even as he thought it, but Hikari suddenly looked so fragile.)  
Touji (looking at his folded hands on the table): I don't think that it is even an issue anymore. Don't worry about it.  
(Touji leans back in his chair and folds his arms behind his head.)  
Hikari: ...I...worried...you know.  
Touji: Huh?  
Hikari (wiping her face with the back of her hand): I-I was worried. Y-You laid there, not responding to anything and-and all I could was sit there!  
Touji (his eyes wide): C-Class rep-Hikari...are you crying?  
Hikari (shuttering): Of course not! W-Why should I be crying?! ...Y-You...just don't know-?!  
(Hikari doesn't know how he managed it without making a sound, but Touji is suddenly behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.)  
Touji (softly, awkwardly): I-I'm sorry, Hikari...  
Hikari (sniffing): You should be...you-you jerk! You scared me to death! Y-You made me cry!  
(Touji hushs her gently.)  
Touji (his eyes closed): ...Don't worry, Class rep. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise.  
(As fate would have it, it is then that the first earthquake hit...)  
------------------------------------------------  
(By now, the primary crew of the contorl center has arrived and relieves the wild-eyed personnel of the skeleton one.)  
Shigeru: Minimum power restored, Major! We have life-support and minor power systems online!  
Maya: I have informed Commander Ikari of our situation. He is on his way.  
Misato (nodding): Good work. Do we know what caused the power-outage? Was it internal or external?  
Hyuga (looking over his shoulder at the major and Dr. Akagi): I am getting conflicting information, sir. Some reports are saying that it came from a EM pulse outside Tokyo-3's borders. Others say that the MAGI engaged an emergency D-17!  
Misato: ...A D-17?  
Ritsuko: This is getting stranger and stranger. Why would the MAGI perform an emergency lock-out? There was not even a warning!  
Misato (looking over her shoulder): Maybe...you don't know your mother as well as you would like.  
Ritsuko: ...  
Misato (turning back to the matter at hand): In any case, we know that we are under attack. What is the condition of the EVAs?  
Maya: No damage. We will have manual access to the EVA power-source in two minutes!  
Gendo (appearing in his tower behind them all): Very good. Prepare them for launch the moment we are back online.  
(Several of the less seasoned technicians jump at the sudden appearance of Commander Ikari and Fuyutsuki, but Ritsuko, Misato, Maya, Shigeru, and Hyuga act as though it was the most natural thing in the world.)  
Misato: Notify the pilots of our situation and get them here! We don't want to be caught with our pants down like last time!  
(Just then, the earthquake hits, throwing Misato and Ritsuko to the floor while the rest of them hang on to their consoles for dear life.)  
Misato (coming to her knees): What the hell was that?  
Maya: Origin unknown, but the source is about fifty kilometers outside Toyko-3's limits, Major!  
Fuyutsuki (quietly): Was this a part of your scenario, Ikari?  
Gendo (folding his hands before his face): ...we will handle it.  
--------------------------------------------   
(Asuka Langley Soryu stands before the entrance to NERV Central. Her fists are on her hips and she has a scowl on her face.)  
Asuka: ...Stupid power goes out too easily around here!  
Shinji (calling): Asuka!  
(The Second Child looks over her shoulder and sees Shinji and Rei running toward her. The boy has one arm around the girl's shoulders to keep her under the umbrella he is holding. Asuka feels sick at the sight of the two of them so close together. Her hands tremble at her sides with suppressed emotion. She violently slides her ID card through the scanner again and suddenly there is an acceptance chime. The power has come back...somewhat.)  
Shinji: Asuka, wait!  
(The boy calls as the red-haired German girl turns toward the opening door.)  
Asuka (coldly): What do you want, Third Child?  
(Shinji comes to a halt behind Asuka, breathing heavily, hands on his knees. Asuka notices that Rei is breathing a little harder too, but her face remains its usual, emotionless mask. Asuka's eyes narrow and she coolly looks over at the Third Child again.)  
Shinji (gulping air): Do you know...what is going...on?  
(Asuka snorts and turns toward the entrance-way, stomping inside.)  
Shinji (surprised): W-Wait! Asuka! What's happening?  
Asuka (not looking over her shoulder this time): If you hadn't been playing around with that- You would have known, you dork!  
Shinji: ...?  
Rei: ...  
(The floor suddenly seems to heave, throwing Asuka and Shinji to the deck. Rei, however, somehow manages to brace herself against the wall just as the shockwave hits.)  
Asuka (furious as she comes to her feet again): What the hell keeps doing that?!  
Rei (eyes on the floor): ...? It...comes...  
Asuka (glaring over at the First Child): What are you mumbling about?!  
(With a toss of her head, the Second Child makes her stand.)  
Asuka: Humph! In any case, we have to check in with headquarters. There is obviously something going on! Come on, Shinji!  
(Asuka begins running and Shinji moves to follow. He pauses, however, when Rei remains standing against the wall, staring at the floor at her feet.)  
Shinji (reaching for her): Ayanami?  
Asuka: What the hell are you doing, baka Shinji? If Wonder Girl wants to waste her time watching her shoes dry, then let her! We have better things to do!  
Shinji (with an undecided look on his face, he gazes over at the redheaded pilot.): I-I don't know, Asuka-  
Asuka (exploding): AAARRGH!!! COME ON, IDIOT!!!  
(With that, Asuka snags Shinji by her arm and drags him after her. Shinji stumbles after the girl, looking back at Rei until he is pulled around the corner...)  
-----------------------------------------  
Maya: Major, I have just gotten news on the source of those earthquakes! It would appear that with every quake, the epicenter is moving!  
Misato: Just what does that mean, Maya?  
Ritsuko (arms crossed): It means, major, that the thing that is the cause of the earthquakes is not staying stationary, like they normally do. Let's just say...that this is not a natural occurrence.  
Misato (rubbing the bridge of her nose): So this is likely-  
Ritsuko (nodding): An Angel.  
Misato: Humph, not very discreet. Almost like walking up to the front door and knocking.  
Maya: That's probably because there is no way to reach it at this point. Apparently the source of the earthquakes is several kilometers under the surface. Even N-2 mines would do nothing more than make big potholes in the earth without doing a thing to the target!  
Misato (rubbing her lower lip in thought): I see. Well, I guess in that there is a blessing and a curse.  
(At the blank look from the technicians around her, Major Katsuragi grins a little grimly.)  
Misato: ...no huge holes to fill with water.  
(Above the crew of the Command Center, Gendo and Fuyutsuki are focusing on a problem of a different nature.)  
Fuyutsuki (very quietly): We have tracked down the intruder.  
Gendo (hands folded before his face): Has he been taken care of?  
Fuyutsuki (hesitant): ...Actually, I am not sure if gender can be assigned to this particular...spy.  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki: ...  
Gendo: How long ago?  
Fuyutsuki: I'm not sure. It's possible that it is the remains of the...Eleventh.  
Gendo: ...I see. Is everything under control?  
Fuyutsuki: ...it will be tight.  
Gendo: Pay special attention to this. Should it be known that we are under attack, then the scavengers will surely move in to feed.  
Fuyutsuki (turning away): Understood.  
(The Vice-Commander leaves the platform and the silent Commander Ikari behind.)  
Gendo (his glasses reflecting the red emergency lights): ...a mere coincidence...  
-----------------------------------------  
Shinji (panting): Asuka! Slow down! I ran all the way here from the other side of town!  
Asuka (fuming): That's not my fault, Third Child! Don't expect sympathy from me, when you were-when you were-Arrrgh!  
(The redheaded pilot turns sharply down a hall she almost missed. Shinji slams into the wall and almost falls.)  
Shinji: Owww!  
Asuka (not looking at Shinji): Clumsy, perverted, disloyal Dummkopf!!!  
(Shinji gazes, confused, at the girl dragging him down that hallway. Her voice sounded almost...stricken.)  
Shinji: What did I do, Asuka-  
Asuka: Shut up! You're breaking my concentration!  
(Shinji falls silent, feeling that for some reason, it was all that Asuka could do to keep herself together.)  
--------------------------------------------  
Shigeru: Major, the Second and Third Children have arrived at the EVA containment area! They are suiting up as we speak!  
Misato: Very good, prepare the EVAs for immediate dispatch.  
Maya: Yes, ma'am. Manual power is online and final preparations are underway for emergency launch.  
Misato: Very well-wait! Where's the First Child?! Shigeru, you said that Asuka and Shinji have arrived. Where is Rei?  
Shigeru: We have a record of her entering Headquarters, but she has not reported in!  
Misato (turning away from Shigeru): I'm...sure she will be along. Have Unit 00 put on standby.  
Shigeru: Roger.  
Gendo: ...What is the status of the target?  
Maya: We still do not have the MAGI to back us up! We only know that there is an unknown object moving toward us.  
Gendo: Then stand down from Alert 1 status.  
Shigeru, Hyuga, and Maya: Sir?  
Gendo: Do it!  
Maya: Y-Yes, sir.  
(Almost instantly the red, flashing icons of Alert 1 status change to the orange warning ones of Alert 2. Misato studies the Commander for a moment before turning away and looking to Maya.)  
Misato: Have we been able to access the MAGI yet?  
Maya: Negative, ma'am. All three of the MAGI have gone into Minimum Activation Mode and they still have the D-17 protocol in effect!  
Misato: ...?!  
suko: It is almost like they are trying to protect themselves against something...  
Misato: We need the MAGI back! Ritsuko...  
Ritusko (stepping toward Casper): I'm already on it!  
-------------------------------------------  
(Shinji seals his plug suit and pressed the vacuum button. There is a sudden hiss of air and the suit hugs itself to his body. While there is a wall separating him and the Second Child, the wall doesn't connect with the ceiling and he can here the frustrated growls from the other pilot.)  
Shinji (calling softly): ...Asuka?  
Asuka (shouting): What?!  
Shinji (ducking his head a little): I-uh-I...  
(Silence reigns in the locker chamber as the Seocnd Child waits and the Third Child tries to think of something to say...or rather, how to say it.)  
Shinji (sighing a bracing breath first): I...was wondering...why you were so mad at me?  
(There is a shocked silence on the other side of the wall. Then,)  
Asuka: You really are stupid sometimes!  
(Shinji can her the girl activate her vacuum switch with a vengeance.)  
Shinji: Asuka-?  
Asuka What?!  
Shinji (very softly, as he heads for the locker room exit): ...please...don't die.  
(And he is gone. The shunned silence is broken by another earthquake which rumbles through HQ like the growl of a vicious beast. When the earthquake passes...)  
Asuka (whispering): ...Shinji?  
(No answer.)  
Asuka (whispering): You...either...dummkopf...  
--------------------------------------------  
(Miles away from NERV HQ, young Touji Suzuhara stands up at the table. The hanging lamp overhead is still swinging.)  
Touji (thinking): That's six and each one seems to be getting stronger.  
(The boy looks over at Hikari who is also worried, but is trying to hide it. She is now chopping chicken for the meal she is preparing.)  
Touji (thinking): They haven't issued any sort of warning or ordered the civilians to the shelters...but, this feels bad.  
(Touji turns towards Hikari.)  
Touji: Uh...Class-I mean, Hikari?  
Hikari (distracted): Hmmm?  
(Touji stares at Hikari for a long time, even when the girl begins to blush. He wonders if she is thinking about when he held her...just before the first earthquake. It had been very awkward when the world had stopped shaking and he had found that he was holding a very feminine body against his.)  
Touji (thinking): Who would have known that the Class Rep had such a body on her?  
(Touji shakes his head and tries to remind himself that he is trying to be noble. He balls his hands into fists with the effort.)  
Touji: I think we had better head over to the shelter.  
(That got Hikari's full attention.)  
Hikari: Huh? What?  
Touji (gesturing around them): I-I know that they haven't-uh-issued a warning...but I have a bad feeling about this!  
Hikari: Touji...I don't think that NERV would let the civilians stay on the surface if there was any real danger to them!  
Touji: ...Hikari, NERV isn't always right.  
Hikari: ...?  
Touji (turning his head away): Please...don't ask me why. Just come with me.  
Hikari: ...  
Touji: ...  
Hikari (softly): ...okay.  
Touji (blinking): Huh?  
Hikari (putting the chicken aside): I said okay. Let me write a letter to my family, first. I don't want them to worry.  
(Touji watchs as Hikari wipes her hands and gets out a piece of paper to write out her letter. Touji stares at her as she leans down to write the letter.)  
Touji (thinking): ...okay.  
--------------------------------------  
Maya (shouting): Major!  
(Misato turns away from Casper, which has been elevated and opened once again by the expert hands of Dr. Akagi.)  
Misato: What?  
Maya: I'm detecting structual damage occurring on the lowest levels of NERV HQ! It's very close to Terminal Dogma!  
Misato (sweat breaking out on her forehead): Oh my God.  
Ritsuko: We have to get the EVAs down there immediately, Major!  
Misato (looking over her shoulder at the doctor): I am well aware of that, Dr. Akagi! Maya, what are the condition of the EVAs and their pilots?  
Maya: Units 01 and 02 are ready to go! Unit 00 is still on standby...with no pilot.  
Misato (nodding): Understood, patch me through.  
------------------------------------------  
(Shinji Ikari watches the chains and the catwalks around the containment cage sway and whine as the most recent of the earthquakes tear through HQ. Suddenly, Misat's face appears on the holographic screen at eye-level.)  
Shinji (startled): M-Misato-  
Misato: Shinji, Asuka! We've got a real problem here!  
(Asuka's face appears next to Misato's.)  
Asuka: So what's going on? Do we-  
Misato: You must move out, I will brief you on the way! You two are going to leave the containment area via Corridor B.  
Asuka: W-What-  
Misato (her eyes showing real fear): This is no time to argue, Asuka! We are very close to having a-a-  
Asuka: ...!  
----------------------------------------------  
Misato: EVAs, move out!  
Shinji and Asuka: Roger!  
(A small screen flickers to life, showing a view of the two EVAs. Unit 02 steps forward and turns toward the large Corridor beside the launch tracks.)  
Shinji: ...! W-What-  
Hyuga: Major! All power going to Unit 01 has been cut off!  
Misato: What?!  
Ritsuko: This is strange. The MAGI have gone back online-  
Misato (snapping): Doctor, it would seem that the MAGI are fighting us on this one!  
Ritsuko: ...!  
Misato (turning back to the view screen): Hang tight, Shinji. Asuka, you move out!  
Asuka: Y-Yes, ma'am.  
(With a look back at the silent, slumped Unit 01, Asuka's Unit 02 begins running down Corridor B. Shinji, upon hearing the EVA's thundering footsteps fade away, slams his fist into the side of his pilot seat.)  
Shinji (bitterly): Damn it!  
----------------------------------------------  
Shigeru: Major?  
Misato: What is it, Shigeru.  
Shigeru: Well, I have found the First Child.  
(An image appears on the view screen of the pale, blue-haired pilot walking down a corridor.)  
Misato: ...where is that?  
(Gendo Ikari suddenly jerks to his feet and leaves the Command Center.)  
Shigeru: I-It's Terminal Dogma...  
------------------------------------------------  
(Asuka's red EVA charges down the final corridor before it reaches the access hatch.)  
Asuka: Misato, I'm at the hatch...what am I supposed to do now, blast my way down?  
Misato: Er...no, Asuka. Just a moment!  
(There is a moment of silence except for the continuous rumbling that is coming from deep below. The EVA waits, power cord trailing away behind it, an assault rifle in its hand. Suddenly, the floor shutters more than it has been and the massive access hatch begins to slide open.)  
Asuka: ...  
(The access hatch is very dark and it looks like a giant mouth to the girl.)  
Asuka (thinking): Let's go, Asuka.  
----------------------------------------------  
Misato: Can you tell me what is going on, Ritsuko? At least give me a timetable!   
(Ritsuko is now sitting in a rolling chair next to Casper like she had been before the day had really started. Her fingers are moving swiftly and surely across her keyboard.)  
Ritsuko (her voice flat): I wish I could tell you, Major, but I don't even know why we are being locked out to begin with. The MAGI are computers modeled off the human mind.  
(Her eyes flash behind her reading glasses at the impatient woman hovering over her.)  
Ritsuko: Can you explain the human mind to me, Misato?  
(Misato opens her mouth, then turns away.)  
Misato (quietly): I just hope that you remember that at this moment, Asuka is going down to face the unknown without so much as a decent briefing. If she is...killed because of...your mother, then...  
(Ritsuko eyes Major Katsuragi, though her fingers continue to move.)  
Ritsuko: ...I understand.  
----------------------------------------------  
(Shinji is completely silent in his entry plug, listening to the conversations going on around him. While his EVA was dead, his plug suit's battery was still operating.)  
Shinji (thinking): Why are so many things going wrong? Why is everything against us?  
(He leans back against the headrest of the cockpit. While there seem to be nothing but shouts and orders coming from the Command Center, Asuka is utterly quiet. If it weren't for the fact that he could hear the power cable being pulled out, he would be sure that Unit 02 was...gone.)  
Shinji: ...Asuka?  
(Silence)  
Shinji: A-Asuka?  
Asuka: What do you want, Third Child? I am kind of busy right now.  
(Shinji looked at the dark walls of the entry plug, lit only by the emergency power on his plug suit.)  
Shinji (closing his eyes): I-I'm sorry for bothering you.  
Asuka (sighing with frustration): Then, why are you?  
Shinji: ...I feel alone.  
Asuka: ...  
Shinji (bowing his head slightly): ...about this morning.  
Asuka (sighing impatiently): Yeah?  
Shinji: The flowers...  
Asuka (her voice freezing): Yeah?  
Shinji: ...they were for my mother.  
Asuka: ...?  
Shinji (wrapping his arms around his knees): That's what I wanted to ask you this morning...if you would come with me.  
Asuka: ...!  
Shinji (bringing a hand to his face): S-Somehow I knew that my father won't be there this time. I-I didn't want to be...alone.  
Asuka (softly): ...Shinji...  
Shinji: Y-You are so...strong, Asuka. You always seem like you know...what to do...even when you don't have a clue.  
Asuka: Jerk.  
(But her voice lacked the usual conviction it normally had, softening the word.)  
Shinji (his eyes staring at the console of his entry plug): I-I know that I am a coward. Maybe that is why I-I admire you so much. You stand firm, no matter what! Nothing can hurt you.  
Asuka: ...  
Shinji (very softly): ...I just wish that you...that you didn't always push me away...  
Asuka: ...!  
(Silence)  
Asuka: Shinji-  
-----------------------------------------------  
Ritsuko: What the-  
Misato (looking over at her): What is it?  
Ritsuko (looking up at Misato, turning the laptop toward her): See for yourself...  
Misato: ...! Deliberation?! The MAGI are...fighting with each other?!  
Ritsuko (turning the laptop back toward herself): ...In a way, yes.  
Misato: What are they debating?!  
Ritsuko (looking up from her screen): Whether to help us or to let us die...  
------------------------------------------------  
Asuka: Shinji, I-  
(Suddenly, Asuka notices that the floor of the bottom level is rushing up to meet her EVA. Unit 02 hits the reinforced metal floor with enough force to fold the surface like paper around her mecha's feet.)  
Asuka (growling): Damn...Shinji!  
Shinji: Huh? What?!  
Asuka: You almost made me drop my assault rifle, dummkopf!  
Shinji (indignant): W-What? How could I do that-  
Asuka (looking around): Nevermind. I don't have time to explain it to you! Let a real EVA pilot work!  
Shinji (angry): W-Why you--A real EVA pilot?! You're nothing but a rookie compared to me-  
Misato (obviously stressed): Shinji! Asuka! Cut it out! We have enough to worry about without the two of you going at each other's throats! Just cool it!  
Shinji: Y-Yes, ma'am.  
Asuka: Yeah, yeah, Misato. I'm at the bottom of the shaft. There isn't much lighting here.  
(Unit 02 scanned about it, gazing at the tall, dark, metal walls and corridors that seemed to stretch forever on either side of the EVA.)  
Misato: Switch to Night-Vision, Asuka. Be very careful!  
Asuka: Yeah, you know me. Caution always comes first.  
Shinji (scoffing): Ha.  
-----------------------------------------------  
Gendo: ...  
(He is a lone figure in a corridor leading to Heaven's Gate. The earthquakes have stopped, which means that the Angel is near.)  
Gendo: ...Rei?  
(He comes to the reinforced, double doors at the end of the corridor. Heaven's Gate. The name almost brings a smirk to his lips, but worry overrides that.)  
Gendo: Rei?  
(His cold voice echoes back to him in the darkness, mocking him. Mocking what he has become. He turns away from the ghosts of the darkness and comes to the double doors. It is dangerous with the Angel so near, but, sometimes it is the things that don't go bump in the night that you have to be afraid of.)  
(The doors slowly open before him, whining on over-taxed servomotors. The dim light beyond reveals what the double-spy Kaji had shown Katsuragi so many months ago. Lillith, still pinned to the red-wood cross, gazes down at him with dispassionate eyes. Just before the restrained creature, is a single pale form.)  
Gendo: Rei...  
(The girl is knee-deep in the LCL pool that separates Lillith from the door. She slowly turns toward the Commander, her red eyes emotionless...)  
Gendo: Rei, why are you here? You should be above, piloting Unit 00.  
Rei: ...  
Gendo: ...  
Rei (softly): She calls me like you call me...like Pilot Ikari calls me.  
Gendo (his face looking years older): Now is not the time for that.  
Rei: You did not visit...her.  
Gendo: ...?  
(Rei begins to walk towards Gendo, her eyes silent pools of red.)  
Rei: ...Shinji cried.  
Gendo: The boy inherits that from his mother. She was far too emotional.  
Rei: ...  
Gendo: ...  
Rei: ...it is here.  
Gendo: What?!  
(Ikari turns away from Rei and finds himself looking into a glowing red orb floating in the darkness at the end of the corridor.)  
Gendo: Rei! We have to get out of here!  
Rei: ...as you wish.  
(The creature begins moving toward the two of them, its sharp claws scraping the metal floor. Gendo reaches down and helps Rei out of the LCL. Her face is indifferent as they move outside the chamber and Gendo hits the close button. The doors slowly begin to close with the Angel growling and Lillith looking on.)  
----------------------------------------------  
Ritsuko: Okay, Maya, we have run out of options!  
Maya: Agreed, ma'am.  
Ritsuko: We are going to have to engage the LRP.  
Maya (nodding): Yes, ma'am, brining it online now.  
Misato: What exactly is a LRP, Ritsuko?  
(Ritsuko sighs and takes her glasses off.)  
Ritsuko: For simplicity's sake, it is like turning off a stubborn computer and turning it back on. It basically resets the MAGI system and reboots it from memory.  
Misato (grabbing Ritsuko by the labels of her lab-coat): Why didn't you do this sooner?!  
Ritsuko (slapping Misato's hands away): You still don't understand, do you?! The MAGI aren't your common PC, Misato! For all intents and purposes, we are going to be giving the MAGI a stroke! We are just hoping that the system will reinitialize! You see, LRP stands for Last Resort Program. It was designed by my mother in case there was absolutely no way to regain control of the MAGI.  
(Ritsuko turns away from the Major and gazes up at the three units holding the MAGI.)  
Ritsuko (quietly): We might very well be killing the MAGI with this little trick.  
Misato: ...  
-----------------------------------------------  
(Heaven's Gate groans behind them, shaking the floor under their feet. Gendo looks at the oncoming Angel with a look of grim determination. Rei looks at the Angel with idle interest.)  
Gendo: Rei?  
Rei: ...Yes, Commander Ikari?  
Gendo (softly): Are you afraid?  
Rei: ...  
Rei: ...I...  
(Gendo looks at her.)  
Rei (very softly): I do not wish...to die...  
Gendo: Then, you won't.  
(Gendo reaches out and grasps Rei gently by the shoulders. The girl looks up at him with her unusual crimson eyes. Suddenly, Gendo leans down and kisses the girl on the forehead. The girl gasps and her eyes blink in surprise.)  
Gendo: Goodbye.  
Rei: Gen-  
(Commander Ikari suddenly grips Rei's shoulders tighter and pushes her through the closing doors of Lillith's Chamber. The girl falls into the LCL pool beyond. She rolls to her feet with incredible speed, but she is too late.)  
Rei (screaming): Commander Ikari-  
(Rei is shocked to see a gentle smile, a smile that tugs at the distant reaches of her mind, on the Commander's face, just before the doors seal shut with a boom.)  
-----------------------------------------------  
(Unit 02 looks around the corner of the corridor in front of it. Asuka can hear movement outside her EVA, but as if yet, she hasn't seen anything that resembled an Angel.)  
Asuka (thinking): This is a strange place. Never knew something like this existed under my feet. Humph, I guess it shouldn't surprise me.  
(Suddenly, she hears something on her audio-pick-ups. Asuka leans forward in her pilot seat.)  
Misato: What is that, Asuka?  
(Unit 02 begins running around the corner, its power cable rubbing against the corner.)  
Asuka (calling back): I can't be positive, Misato, but I could have sworn I just heard the sound of someone...screaming!  
Misato (disbelief on her hovering face): "Screaming?!"  
Asuka: Yeah-arghh!  
(Suddenly, it seemed like the entire corridor was filled by a gray and black mass. Its massive head seems to be made of a shell or armor that curved around almost like the bow of a submarine. In what could be called the creature's neck was all sinew and rough flesh. A glowing orb, which Asuka knew to be an S-2 organ, pulsed in the center of the Angel's throat. The closest thing that Asuka could relate the Angel's body to was a turtle's shell. It was stream-lined, layered, and ridged. The Angel's body seems to heave and stir like the gills of a fish. From there, the Angel spread out into its forward limbs, which were tipped with long, razor-sharp claws that raked the metal floor with every lunge forward.)  
Asuka: ...My God!  
Misato: Asuka?!  
Asuka: I've made contact!  
(The girl's eyes move slowly over the Angel and her eyes spot a limp, bloody form near the Angel's left claw.)  
Asuka (shocked): Commander Ikari?!  
-----------------------------------------------  
Misato: What?! What the hell is he doing there?!  
(Ritsuko suddenly looks up from her laptop and her fingers stop. On the small, secondary screen, the image from Unit 02's cameras reveal the Commander, his back against the wall, his life's blood draining on the floor.)  
Maya (pleading softly): Doctor? Ma'am? Ma'am, we have to finish this!  
(Ritsuko tears her eyes away from the screen.)  
Ritsuko (shaken): Y-Yes, of course.  
(Ritsuko's fingers move across the keyboard once more. They move with such speed it seems that they had been created just for the task. She hits the Send key and the LRP is engaged.)  
Ritsuko (softly): We'll know if we are going to live to see tomorrow in about three minutes.  
(Her eyes wander back to the secondary screen...)  
------------------------------------------------  
(Meanwhile, within the entry plug of Unit 01, Shinji is hugging his knees to his chest very tightly.)  
Shinji (whispering): Father...  
------------------------------------------------  
(The shelter is not as packed as it would have been if there had been an official order for evacuation, but there were still many. Frightened-eyed children with world-wise parents sit on blankets and talk quietly among themselves. Touji and Hikari are surprised that many of their classmates have decided to come to the shelter on their own.)  
Kensuke (for Touji's ears only): I saw you come in with the class rep. (Sly grin) Anything I should know about?  
Touji (wrinkling his nose): What the hell are you talking about?!  
Kensuke (a big grin on his face): Heard you were over at Horaki's...  
Touji (feeling caged): And if I was?  
Kensuke (leaning in close): So what size?  
Touji (leaning away): W-What do you mean?  
Kensuke: What are you, dense? What cup-size does she wear?  
Touji (his cheeks burning): That's none of your business, Aida!  
(When he saw a concerned look from Hikari, Touji lowered his voice.)  
Touji (whispering): Why don't you keep your mind out of the gutter for once?!  
Kensuke (eyes wide): Look who's talking! Aren't you the one always teasing Shinji?  
(Kensuke clasped his hands together, batting his eyes innocently at Suzuhara.)  
Kensuke: "Oh, come on, Shinji! I know you've banged Soryu! Tell me, does she bite in bed? No? What about Ayanami? I know you are into that mystical, quiet stuff! How-" ouch!  
(Kensuke rubs his ribs where Touji has secretly jabbed him while waving and laughing nervously at the approaching, wide-eyed Hikari.)  
Hikari (looking between the two of them): What are you two talking about?   
Touji (laughing a little wildly): O-Oh, nothing important, Hikari! Just GUY stuff.  
Hikari (her gaze turning suspicious): "Guy stuff?" Like the stuff you talk with Shinji about-  
Touji: N-No! Nothing like that, right- (Touji wrapped a tight arm around Kensuke's slender neck) buddy?  
Kensuke (coughing): Yeah...sure...nothing like that...  
Hikari: Hmmm.  
------------------------------------------------  
(Unit 02 levels the assault rifle on the Angel. The creature seems to watch her, but she couldn't see anything that resembled eyes. The girl grits her teeth and her hands tighten on the control handles.)  
Misato: Careful, Asuka. We don't know anything about this Angel.  
Asuka (frustrated): I know that!  
(Her finger tightens slightly on the trigger.)  
Misato: Try to simply contain the Angel for now, okay? We are working on getting power to Unit 01. Then, we can-  
Asuka: What are you saying?! That I can't take this thing without Shinji's help?!  
Misato (flinching): Of course not. It would just be safer.  
Asuka: I'll have you know that I'm ten times a better pilot than Shinji!  
Misato (holding up a hand): Asuka, please, I didn't say that you couldn't handle it-  
Asuka: I'll show you some real soldiering!  
Misato (horrified): Asuka, no!  
(The girl doesn't listen as she trains her crosshairs on the Angel's S-2 organ. The Angel seems to be waiting now.)  
Asuka (screaming): EAT THIS!!!  
------------------------------------------------  
(The entire Command Center shutters and the Secondary screen went to static.)  
Misato: ASUKA!!! Ritsuko, is-  
Ritsuko (gazing at her laptop): Thirty seconds!  
Misato (frantic): Shinji!  
Shinji (shaken): Misato, is-  
Misato: The moment you have power-MOVE!!!  
Shinji: Got it!  
Misato: Ritsuko?!  
Ritsuko: 24, 23, 22, 21, 20...  
------------------------------------------------  
(Asuka breathes heavily as she shakes her head.)  
Asuka (dazed): Ohhh, my head-  
(Distantly, she can hear Misato screaming her name. Asuka opens her eyes and sees that the submarine shell that covered the top of the Angel's head had concealed more lines of sinew...and...lots of teeth...)  
Asuka (struggling to sort out her thoughts): Why do I...always get the ones with...teeth?  
(The Angel suddenly lunges forward and Asuka screams. She turns and sees that the Angel had buried one of its massive claws in the EVA's joint between the arm and body. It began separating the EVA's armor and flesh.)  
Asuka: ARRRRGGGGHHHH!!  
(The EVA moves, grabbing the Angel's wrist and tried to pull the creature's claw out. The Angel's mouth suddenly opens wide and lets out a blood-chilling roar...not unlike Unit 01...when it had gone berserk. Then, Asuka feels the teeth bury in the EVA's flesh, taking the head and shoulders of the EVA into its mouth. The teeth felt like hundreds of daggers on her own body. Again, she screams...)  
------------------------------------------------  
Shinji (frantic): Come on! Come on!  
(Asuka's last scream is still echoing in the boy's ears as he moves the control handles of the entry plug without any reaction from the EVA. There is no "bond," as Ayanami called it. He can't "feel" the EVA around him. It is almost like he is in a...tomb.)  
Shinji (sobbing softly, head bowed): Please...let me...go to...her...  
------------------------------------------------  
(It feels like her heart is being ripped out. Misato can hear Asuka whimpering and crying, but she can't see anything. The EVA's video units are out, but as cruel fate would have it, the audio is working just fine.)  
Asuka (weakly): Urghhh!  
Ritsuko: 4, 3, 2, 1, 0!  
(The lights in the Command Center suddenly goes down and for a moment, Misato is sure that she can actually hear the Angel through all the plates oarmor. The only sound in the entire, cavernous chamber is the sound of the MAGI, humming and digesting the LRP. And then-)  
------------------------------------------------  
(His EVA is ALIVE. He has POWER. Unit 01 explodes away from the launch platform, its footsteps earth-shaking and frantic. Unit 01 stretches out, its legs carrying it forward at speeds not thought possible, even for an Evangelion. Each step shatters the metal floor as Unit 01 sprints toward the access hatch. Shinji isn't even aware of the tears streaming down his face as he pushes his EVA forward with the fire in his soul.)  
Misato (shouting): Shinji! You need a weapon-  
Shinji (his voice shaking): Don't...need...one...  
(This time, the roar of the inhuman is easily heard by the humans in the Command Center.)  
Maya: Shinji's synch ratio just shot up to two hundred percent!  
Misato (slamming her palm on the command console): Shinji! What is his condition?  
Maya (in disbelief): H-He's fine. Heart rate is a little high, but other than that-  
Ritsuko (to herself): That brilliant bastard. That brilliant, heartless bastard...  
------------------------------------------------  
(The access hatch rushes into his view and Shinji simply launches his EVA for it. Where Unit 02 had hopped from ledge to ledge, Unit 01 dove into the shaft. The EVA's eyes glow like infernos in the darkness of the access tunnel. The layers of armor whistle by the EVA as it rockets toward the ground floor of NERV Central.)  
Shinji (shuttering): Asuka...Asuka...  
(The boy reaches up without really thinking about it. The Progressive Knife comes eagerly to the EVA's hand, glowing as it begins to vibrate.)  
Misato: Shinji...  
Shinji: It should have been...me, Misato.  
Misato: ...?  
Shinji (his voice very quiet): Asuka...was brave enough...for life...  
Misato: Shinji, s-she died doing what she wanted...piloting EVA-  
Shinji (crying): But she's not the one that should have died!!   
(The EVA turns in the air and seconds later, it lands in the footprints left behind by Unit 02. The floor actually warps and twists as the shockwave of the impact spreads away from the EVA's feet. The EVA's eyes and Knife are the only source of light now. The EVA's growls echo off the metal walls of Terminal Dogma.)  
Shinji: ...  
(Stretching away from the EVA, lays the power cable of Unit 02, now lack and still. Unit 01 begins to stalk forward, moving with an animal's grace, which is both beautiful and terrifying. The EVA follows the cable around the corner and finds...)  
(Silence)  
(...the Angel poised over Unit 02's shattered frame, its mouth dips with the EVA's blood. Shinji knew then that he did go a little mad. Unit 02's chest armor was ripped open and its left arm had been torn away. The EVA...wanted to attack...Shinji wanted to see...to see what had happened...when he hadn't been able to get there in time...)  
------------------------------------------------  
Misato: My God...  
(The rest of the Command Center is utterly silent.)  
Misato: A-Asuka...I'm so sorry...  
------------------------------------------------  
(Unit 01 throws its head back and its roar shakes the walls and floor around it. It launches itself toward the Angel, coming in low. The impact throws the Angel against the wall, crumbling the metal-plated surface. The EVA slashes at the Angel wildly, throwing its blood across the floor, walls, Unit 02...Commander Ikari...)  
Shinji (screaming): Damn you! Damn you to Hell, you monster!!  
(The Angel throws up a claw in defense, but the EVA caught the thick, hard wrist and buries its Progressive Knife into the bridge of flesh between the body and arm...like how the Angel had with Unit 02. The Knife screams and blood splashes across Unit 01's grinning face and chest. With a horrible, ripping sound, the EVA tears the Angel's arm from its body.)  
(The Angel screams again and its massive claw comes up and begins slashing away armor and flesh. The EVA ignores this and turns its glowing eyes on the S-2 organ hovering before its face. It begins to stab the Progressive Knife against the smooth, glowing orb's surface. The Angel's claw suddenly lunges forward and comes out the EVA's back, pinning it against the wall. The Angel opens its mouth again in a feral grin so much like Unit 01's. Its head moves toward the Evangelion with the intention of biting the EVA's head off...)  
Asuka (her voice hoarse from screaming): I...don't...think so...  
------------------------------------------------  
Hyuga: Ohmygod! Unit 02 has reactivated!!  
Misato (jerking forward with emotion): Asuka!!  
------------------------------------------------  
(Unit 02's foot slams into the side of the Angel's curved skull. The Angel tumbles back toward Heaven's Gate. The red EVA holds a hand to the place where its left arm used to be.)  
Asuka (her eyes dim): No one...picks on Shinji, but me...Got That?  
(The Angel rears up so that it is towering over Unit 02.)  
Asuka: Don't...patronize me...  
(Unit 02 activites its own Progressive Knife, which it holds loosely in its right hand.)  
Asuka: ...  
(The Angel roars and lunges toward the red EVA like a snake moving in on a mouse. The problem is Asuka is no mouse. The EVA moves with the claws that urge it toward the creature's main body. But as it is lowering its head, Asuka screams her battle cry and the Progressive Knife is flying toward the S-2 organ.)  
Asuka (shouting): RRRGHH!!  
(Sparks that fly from the breach in the S-2 organ's surface bouce off the EVA's bloodied face. The Angel tightens its death grip on the EVA, but it only serves to push the Progressive Knife deeper into the Angel's most important part. Asuka grits her teeth, her EVA's feet being pushed into the abused floor as the Angel begins to lean in on the Evangelion.)  
Asuka: ...!  
(Then, the S-2 orb went dark and the Angel's grip eases. The EVA and the Angel collapse to the deck.)  
------------------------------------------------  
Asuka: ...zzzz...zz-uh?  
(Young Soryu blinks at the sunlight burning in through the windows. The walls are white save the little picture of a field of flowers hanging next to the door. In front of the window, there is a small table overflowing with flowers of all different colors. A particular group catches her eyes.)  
Asuka (thinking): White...flowers...  
(The girl shakes her head in confusion.)  
Asuka: Where...?  
(The sound of soft breathing near her catches her attention. Turning her head slowly, since it feels like it is about to burst, she finds Shinji asleep in the chair next to her bed. He looks like he is having a bad dream.)  
Asuka (speaking carefuly): Hey, Shinji?  
(Snore)  
Asuka (a little more firmly): Shinji...  
(Snore)  
Asuka (snapping): Hey! Baka Shinji!!!  
(At this, the boy comes awake while the girl groans, holding her bandaged head.)  
Shinji: A-Asuka-?  
Asuka (eyes tightly shut): Dummkopf! GOD, that hurt, ohhh-  
Shinji (coming to his feet): Asuka!  
Asuka (surprised): What-huh-  
(Asuka Langley Soryu would never forget the shock she felt that day in the hospital room. One moment she was dealing with the worst headache she had ever known in her life, the next, she was wrapping in Shinji's arms, his quiet tears burning at her temple.)  
Shinji (his voice thick): I'm-I'm so sorry, I couldn't get to you f-faster!  
Asuka (eyes wide): Shinji...  
Shinji (eyes tightly shut): I-I could hear you screaming and crying...and I couldn't do-I couldn't do a single GODDAMNED thing!!!  
Asuka (her eyes staring at the wall opposite of her): Shinji, I-you-I...  
(Asuka sighs and closes her eyes, resting her cheek against his neck.)  
Asuka (quietly): There was nothing you could have done.  
Shinji: ...I was so worried...  
Asuka: ...!  
Asuka: S-Shinji, I-  
(The door suddenly opens and Misato, flowers in hand, finds herself staring at Shinji and Asuka locked in a tight embrace.)  
Misato: Oh!  
Shinji: M-Misato-  
Asuka (quietly): Shinji?  
Shinji: Eh?  
Asuka (shouting): GET OFF ME, YOU JERK!!!  
(Shinji finds himself on the floor, staring up at Asuka.)  
Asuka (to Misato): My God, you turn your back for one moment and boys take complete advantage of you! Every DAMN time!!  
(Shinji stares up at the furious redhead for a long moment, his cheeks almost the color of her hair. Then, he drags himself slowly to his feet and flexes his bandaged hands at his sides.)  
Shinji (softly): I-I'm sorry, Asuka. I didn't mean to-  
(He fights with himself, then lifts his head, forcing the emotion deep inside. He would deal with it later, when he was away from the watching gaze of a certain EVA pilot.)  
Shinji: Excuse me.  
Misato (stepping aside, concerned): Yeah...sure...  
(The room is silent except for the soft, slow footsteps of the young pilot.)  
Asuka (sighing): Huh, well, that's Ikari for you.  
(The girl carefully lays back down with her arms behind her head.)  
Misato (closing the door behind herself): That was a little cold, even for you, Asuka.  
(Asuka snorts and looks out the window. The sun is setting. She briefly wonders how long she has been out...how long Shinji had been watching over her.)  
Asuka (firmly): He's always so emotional! He never acts like a man...  
(Misato walks over to the table next to Asuka's bed, noting Shinji's flowers sitting at the front of the small garden. She gently touches the delicate, white flowers before setting her own small arrangement down next to it.)  
Misato (gently): He was the first to get to you.  
(Asuka looks away from Misato's back.)  
Asuka: Well, that was a part of the mission. We were supposed to go in as a team, but, you know-  
Misato: I didn't mean during the mission, I meant after...  
Asuka (her breath catching): A-After?  
Misato: Didn't you see his hands, Asuka? He manually ejected you plug and opened it up with no protection other than his plug suit's gloves!  
(Asuka turns sharply towards Misato, regretting it a second later as the headache hit her with a vengeance.)  
Asuka (hand to her head): H-He what?!  
Misato (arranging the flowers): You heard me. He opened the entry plug without protection! He received second degree burns on both hands!   
Asuka: What is he, stupid? He should have wait-  
(The crack of a palm against a cheek seems to stun the world into absolute silence.)  
Misato (tears in her eyes): H-He pulled you out of your cracked entry plug without any regard for his own life! He held you in his arms, trying to stop you from losing too much blood! Even when we finally got there, he refused to get treated himself until he saw that you were in good hands!  
(Misato turns away and tries to compose herself. She had been on edge ever since she had seen the remains of the EVAs and the Angel yesterday. Misato carefully straightens up, aware that the girl behind her is deathly quiet.)  
Misato (at the door, softly): Get better soon, Asuka.  
(The door closes carefully behind the major, leaving the girl alone. After a few seconds, Asuka turns on her side so that her back is to the door.)  
Asuka (choked voice): ...baka...Shinji...  
------------------------------------------------  
(Deep within NERV Central, in an isolated chamber under top security and secrecy, a man lays, his eyes gazing at nothing. At his side, a pale, blue-haired girl keeps a silent vigil. While it seems like he sees nothing, it is obvious that there is something. Within, Gendo Ikari, Supreme Commander of NERV, sees everything...and he feels...fear...)  
------------------------------------------------  
To Be Continued...  
Author's Notes:  
Okay, this is my first fan fic for Evangelion, but I have been thinking about a story like this since I saw the last volume of Evangelion, the TV series. There were a lot of "What if's" rattling around in my head and this is the final product.  
Now, I'd like to make a small confession. I haven't seen the End of Evangelion, yet, so you will not be seeing any references to it in my fan fics unless otherwise noted. Basically, SBTA takes place some time after the last two tapes...I'm not exactly sure about the time line...  
One last thing before I get off my soap box... I know that some fans of this great series are thoroughly convinced that Gendo Ikari is completely evil. Yes, he's got an uncanny ability at being cruel, but I think there's more to this character than that. I will attempt to go about going deeper into Gendo Ikari in the next chapter...so watch for that and see if I succeed in convincing you!  
Please, if you have some helpful C&Cs, let me know! That's what I'm here for! You can email me at Horizon302@aol.com.  
That's all for now. Watch for Chapter 2 of Step Beyond the Abyss, One Man's Story!  



	2. One Man's Story

------------------------  
The Characters and concept of Neon Genesis Evangelion are property of Gainax. I created this "scenario" in the spirit of the TV series. I made it in the hope that it would open up people's minds and give something to a series that really touched me. This little series that I have created is a piece of fan fiction thought up by yours truly, so if you are going to copy or distribute this work, please give credit where it is due, k? Now enjoy!  
--------------------------  
  
  
Evangelion: Step Beyond the Abyss  
Chapter Two: One Man's Story  
by N. T. Martin   
  
  
-------------------------------------------------------   
BACKGROUND: Let's see here. In the last chapter of SBTA, a new Angel attacked NERV Central. Around the same time, the MAGI mysteriously shut down and went into Minimum Activation Mode. Because of the strange interference of the MAGI, Evangelion Unit 01 was cut off from the power-source. While all this is going on, Asuka was forced to face this new threat alone and almost pays the ultimate price. Due to the quick thinking of the NERV crew, they manage to fend off this most recent attack, but not without consequences. Gendo Ikari is now in a coma...showing no signs of awakening...  
-------------------------------------------------------   
Gendo: ...  
(He is seating in a metal chair in the center of a circle of light.)  
Voice: Who are you?  
(The Commander lifts his head, his glasses firmly in place.)  
Gendo (calmly): I am he who brings new life to the world.  
Voice (sneer): Or its new destruction.  
Seele: Can you guide the hand of Man, Ikari? Are you so arrogant?  
Gendo (hands folded in his lap): I make things happen. Without guidance, we would fall into chaos.  
Voice: Some of which you have created...  
(Gendo Ikari finds a table before him and braces his elbows on its surface. His hands fold before his face and he gazes at nothingness.)  
Gendo: When necessary. Sometimes a...catalysis is required to start the predicted reaction.  
Voice: Even at the cost of your wife...  
Seele: ...your son...  
Rei: ...your soul?  
Gendo (very still): ...yes.  
------------------------------------------------  
(Outside the door of Major Katsuragi's apartment, Misato is half-supporting, half-carrying a bandaged, tired Asuka Langley Soryu. Hikari Horaki is hovering around the two with a concerned look on her face.)  
Misato: Careful...careful...Hikari, can you get the door? Really, Asuka, I don't know why you didn't just wait until you could walk on your own!  
Asuka: Humph...I hate that hospital, Misato! Whenever I'm there...  
Misato (looking over at the girl): ..."Whenever you are there"...?  
Asuka (her bangs hiding her eyes): I can't get a wink of sleep...  
Misato (quietly): ...I see.  
Hikari (determined to be cheerful): Well, soon we will have you settled back in your own room! You can rest there.  
(The Class Rep reaches for the access button to Misato's apartment and she jumps when the door opens without her touching it. Shinji, still sleepy from a night of tossing and turning, finds himself gazing at the three females outside the door.)  
Shinji (eyes snapping wide): ...! Oh...  
Hikari (looking nervously between Asuka and Shinji): H-Hi, Ikari.  
Shinji (shaken): H-Hi.  
(His eyes look at Asuka for a moment before he looks away.)  
Shinji: I-I was off to get some groceries for dinner tonight, Misato. I...I guess I had better get enough for three, huh?  
Asuka (scowling): Disappointed, baka?  
(Young Ikari bites his lip, not looking at the angry girl.)  
Shinji (turning his head away from Asuka): I-It's not that...  
Asuka: ...  
Shinji (his eyes lowered and stepping to the side): I...I'll be back in about an hour.  
Asuka (her eyes narrowed): Running away?  
Shinji: ...  
(The boy moves past the three and heads for the elevator. Asuka looks over her shoulder at his back, her free hand fisted at her side.)  
------------------------------------------------  
Voice: Angels, Seele, nothing scares you.  
Gendo: Fear is an irrational response to the unknown. A throw back to Man's primitive ancestors. Understand the unknown and the fear will vanish.  
Voice: You lie.  
Gendo: ...who are you?  
Ikari (stepping into the light): I am you.  
Gendo: ...!  
Ikari: Can you face yourself, Gendo? Can you look me in the eyes?  
Gendo: You are nothing but a figment of my fevered imagination.  
Ikari: ...Are you sure?  
Gendo: As I can be of anything.  
Seele: You betrayed us, Ikari. You worked, but only too well.  
Gendo (quietly): As always, I aim to please.  
Ikari: Sarcasm, Gendo? You cannot block the truth here.   
Gendo (gazing steadily at his mirror image): What truth do you speak of? The world is made up of many truths combined into one giant montage of emotion and logic.  
Ikari: What is your truth?  
Gendo: The one closest to reality.  
Ikari: Is there only one reality, or many, like truth?  
Gendo: ...  
Ikari: What of the truth about yourself? Do you know yourself?  
Gendo: I am true with myself.  
Ikari: Are you sure of that?  
Gendo (his eyes flashing behind his tinted glasses): Yes.  
Shinji (shouting): I thought you didn't want me! Why did you call for me, father?!  
Ikari: Because I have a use for you.  
Gendo: ...!  
Voice: Did you say that?  
Gendo: ...  
Voice: Why did you say that?  
Gendo: ...because it was the truth.  
Voice: When you said, "I love you" was that also one of your "truths?"  
Gendo: ...!!  
------------------------------------------------  
Touji: I think that you should stand up to her. You let her knock you around too much, Ikari.  
(Shinji sighs as he searches through the small tubes of spices, looking for ginger. The market is pretty empty except for a very few strained citizens of Tokyo-3. The constant attacks had chased away many that did not have to be there.)  
Kensuke (pushing his glasses up on his nose): Touji's right. You can't spend your life afraid of a girl! Though, there are times when I wonder about Asuka-  
Shinji: The matter of Asuka's gender is not in question-  
(He wishes he had not said that. The two other boys' heads snap toward him, their eyes huge...then sly...)  
Touji (shouting): WHAT?!  
Shinji (waving his hands in front of him): N-No! It's not what you think!  
Kensuke: When did this happen, Shinji? Hmmm?  
(Shinji's eyes turn away from his friends and stares at the tube of ginger in his fingers. It had been when the Sixth Angel had attacked the U.S.S. Over-the- Rainbow and the escort fleet of Evangelion Unit 02. It had been when they (Touji, Kensuke, and Shinji) had first met Asuka Langley Soryu. When the Angel had attacked, Asuka, determined to prove her military prowess to young Ikari, had dragged him into an isolated part of Unit 02's transport ship and had started changing into her plug suit. The boy hadn't known what she was doing and had peeked around the corner. His ears still burned when he thought of the incident...and the choice German curses Asuka had screamed at him... Little had he known just how well he would come to know those very phases!)  
Shinji (tucking the vial of ginger in his shopping basket): You guys have a one-track mind!  
(Touji and Kensuke weren't ready just yet ot let Shinji off the hook. They both dart around so that they block his way, grinning at him.)  
Touji: Oh, come on, Ikari, tell us! What is her best part...?  
Kensuke (leering): Her breasts?  
Touji: Her legs?  
Kensuke: Her butt-?  
Shinji (face very red, shouting): Cut it out!, both of you!  
(The boy stalks away from his two friends who look at each other.)  
Touji: Man, what's his problem?  
Kensuke (scratching the back of his head): Touch´  
------------------------------------------------  
(Asuka falls to the floor on her back, throwing her arms away from her.)  
Asuka: Arghh! Enough already! I should't be forced to work on this stupid homework while I am recovering!  
(Hikari, now used to Asuka's violent mood swings, blinks over at the girl calmly.)  
Hikari: But it was your idea.  
Asuka (throwing an arm over her eyes): So shoot me! I must have been crazy!  
Misato (looking over at the girl from the kitchen table): Asuka...  
Asuka (loudly): I know, I know. If I don't keep my grades up like that time, I don't get that new dress I wanted. You don't have to remind me.  
(The EVA pilot glares at the major out from under her arm.)  
Asuka (muttering): But, it seems like blackmail to me...  
Misato (looking over the rim of her beer can): What was that?  
Asuka: Nothing, Misato. Just thinking aloud.  
Hikari (quietly): Um...Asuka?  
Asuka (sighing): Yes, Hikari?  
Hikari (her cheeks pink): C-Can I asuk you a favor?  
(Her curiosity caught, the redheaded pilot lifts her arm.)  
Asuka: What?  
Hikari (playing with the folds of her skirt): Could I, that is if you aren't using it, could I use your Lavander perfume?  
Asuka (brows lifting): What? Why?  
Hikari (pressing a hand to her burning cheeks): I-well-I just-  
Asuka (groaning): Oh no...don't tell me you want to wear it for that dumb jock, Touji! How many times do I have to tell you that he is no good for you?! You most definitely could do better!  
Hikari (crawling over to peer down at Asuka): Oh, please? I promise, I will do whatever you ask! I will forever be in your debt!  
Asuka (covering her eyes again): Okay, fine! Oh God, I feel a headache coming on again...  
------------------------------------------------  
Voice: Do you rmember me, Gendo?  
Gendo (his eyes lowering): How could I forget?  
Voice: Do you remember what you did to me? To us?  
Gendo: .........yes.  
(The darkness around Gendo Ikari began to move and shift.)  
Gendo: I...  
(The distant roar of Unit 01 echoes through the darkness.)  
Gendo: ...do not...  
(Red flows from eyes filled with inhuman insanity.)  
Gendo: ...wish to...see...this...  
(The sound of a woman's horrified scream hits Gendo like a spear, making his folded hands tremble.)  
Gendo: ...again!!  
Voice: But you must....  
(The light around Gendo begins to become brighter, flooding the Commander's vision.)  
(Soft laughter and a gentle face appears before him.)  
Gendo (choked): Yui...  
(The woman doesn't seem to hear him as she depresses the vaccum switch on her wrist. Her plug suit suddenly hugs itself to her slender frame.)  
Yui: God, I will be happy when all these tests are over! They are really wearing me out.  
Gendo: Don't go!  
Yui (her eyes flashing): Don't think I'm lazy or anything! A person can only do something so many times before it starts becoming routine.  
Gendo (bowing his head): Don't let your guard down...you don't understand! I didn't either...I just didn't know.  
(Yui suddenly looks down and there is such a look of delight on her face that Gendo's heart aches. Then, a young boy appears between the two, looking up between them.)  
Yui: Oh, Shinji...come to see mommy off?  
Gendo (thinking): Shinji!!  
Young Shinji: M-Mama!  
Yui (chuckling, picking up her son): Ohhh, you are getting so big, son of mine!   
(She pauses and studies her son carefully, seriously for a moment, then)  
Yui (looking up): He looks more like you every day! But I don't care what you say, his hair color is mine!   
(Gendo could only gape at his wife.)  
Yui (giggling): He'll be so handsome when he grows up. A real lady-killer! But he will be kind...so that's okay.  
(Young Shinji turns toward Gendo and he feels his heart stop. The boy had such innocence in his face. His eyes were bright and his smile is like his mother's.)  
Shinji (reaching): P-Papa!  
Gendo: ...!  
Yui (moving forward): Okay, little love, go to your father.  
(Gendo finds the boy in his arms and can only stare down at him in shock. Shinji gazes back at his father, studying the older man.)  
Gendo (holding Shinji tight to his chest): Yui-  
(The young woman is walking away, into the blinding light at the end of the corridor.)  
Yui (waving): I'll see you after the test! Then...we'll do some private celebrating...  
Gendo (shouting): YUI!!!  
(The light from the end of the corridor blinds him and he is lost for a time.)  
(Gendo finds himself in the metal chair again. His arms are empty and the blackness is around him once more. He clenches his jaw and wipes his face of emotion.)  
Gendo (quietly): A memory.  
Ikari: Yes.  
Seele: You live in memories, Ikari. It is what drives you.  
Yui (her form appearing beside him, her face so emotionless...like Rei's): It allows you to move forward where others would have crumbled.  
Ikari: But you were destroying yourself in the process.  
Fuyutsuki: Your sins are eating you alive.  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki: You are not invincible...  
Gendo (folding his hands): This is irrelevant.  
Fuyutsuki: So this justifies everything. Think of nothing but the end product.  
Gendo: Correct.  
Fuyutsuki: ...I see.  
Yui: But do you believe this is right?  
Gendo: It matters not what I believe. I only follow the course of my destiny...  
Fuyutsuki: And the so-called destiny of Mankind.  
Seele: Are you truly so heartless, Ikari?  
Gendo: ...yes.  
Shinji: I don't believe you.  
Gendo: ...!  
------------------------------------------------  
Seele: This is interesting.  
Seele: And dangerous...  
Seele: Ikari tried to cover it up again.  
Seele: We all know of Ikari's tactics. Besides, it would have mattered not, considering that we left the bread crumbs to be followed.   
Seele: Should Ikari found out, there will be hell to pay.  
Seele: We are running out of time. We are behind schedule as it is. We can no longer trust Ikari to do what is necessary.  
Seele: There are rumors...  
Seele: Rumors...but no solid facts. Perhaps the Professor is not as foolish as he appears...   
-------------------------------------------------  
Maya (gazing up): My God, look at all that damage!  
Ritsuko (looking down at her clipboard): At least this one is underground, out of the sight of the public. It has never been pleasant to clean up all the blood in the open.   
Maya (sighing): Yeah, but there is something about...blood standing and pooling on the floor that is very disturbing. You once told me that I would get used to getting my hands dirty, ma'am. I'm still waiting.  
Ritsuko (smiling slightly): It does take some time.   
(The older woman looked over at her young companion. Maya blinked and took a step back   
when Ritsuko took a step closer and gazed deeply into the young woman's eyes.)  
Maya (blushing pink): W-What?  
Ritsuko (shaking her head and stepping back): Nope, still too bright.  
Maya: ...  
(There is the loud groan of servomotors and the two women turn to see several heavy-duty cranes levering Unit 02's arm onto a over-sized flatbed truck.)  
Maya: ...will we be able to reattach it, or will we have to regenerate it?  
Ritsuko: ...regenerate it. That is simply for spare parts now.  
Maya: ..."spare parts?"  
Ritsuko (walking toward the silent Angel): ...  
------------------------------------------------  
Fuyutsuki: Do you remember this place?  
Gendo (very quietly): ...yes...  
(A room appears. Several rows of computer consoles sit before a thick pane of tinted glass.)  
Fuyutsuki (arrogant tones): It is amazing what a coat of paint and replacement glass can do to a place. What did it take? A day for you to have everything repaired and cleaned? You didn't want any sort of reminder to remain.  
Gendo: You didn't even want to come to this room after...that day.  
Fuyutsuki (softly): ...I wasn't so willing to shut everything down. I survived, but in my own way.  
Gendo: Humph.   
Fuyutsuki: ...everything started here.   
Gendo: Yes.  
(Blood drips. There is pounding and the scream of metal pushed past its limit.)  
Gendo (his eyes closed): My sins relived. You always enjoyed being the thorn my side.  
Ikari: You did this to yourself. It doesn't matter that you have blocked it out. This has always been there, at the center of your soul. Can you hear it?  
Gendo (hand pressed to one side of his face): ...  
Ikari (his face calm and indifferent): Are you ready?  
Gendo: ...no...  
(Light flashes and the room comes to life...)  
--------------------------------------------------  
Shinji: ...  
(The sky is bright and warm. He watches the wisps of clouds drift overhead, shading and lighting different parts of the city before him. Slowly, the boy lowers his head towards his knees. He loses himself in thought, with the ingredients for dinner sitting beside him in the grass.)  
Shinji (very softly): ...too late.  
(The boy wraps his arms around his knees and stares at the grass at his feet. Again, the memories are there, waiting for him, like always. Sometimes, he is able to stop them, block the voices out with his Walkman. But now...there is nothing. The breeze is gentle and quiet. Downtown Tokyo-3 is far enough away that the urban noise is cut down dramatically.)  
Shinji (thinking): Why did I come here?  
(His eyes look over at the bag of ingredients at his side.)  
Shinji (thinking): I should be cooking now. For Asuka and Misato. If nothing else, that is something...I can do right.  
(The sun is setting, casting the city in gold.)  
(FLASHBACK: Evangelion Unit 01 running toward the access hatch, mouth hanging open in a horrible, deadly grin. It...craves...)   
Shinji (thinking): EVA, a creation of Man, yet not a creation of Man.   
(FLASHBACK: The underground assembly tables, where the failed EVAs had laid. Misato had stood beside him, her face grim. Ritsuko had stood on the other side of him, a little crazy. Then came the heart of the Dummy System. The System Gendo Ikari tried to kill Touji with.)  
FLASHBACK: Shinji: Oh God, Father, stop! Make it stop!!  
Shinji (softly): Father...   
-------------------------------------------------  
Gendo: ...  
Tech A: Twenty seconds to Borderline!  
(Looking around the Command Center, Gendo noted the familiar faces from his nightmares.)  
Gendo (softly): It was not...meant to be this way...  
Fuyutsuki (hands behind his back): Another one of your scenarios?  
Gendo: ...we had no clue-  
Ikari: You understood what was at stake. You decided that it was...necessary.  
Gendo (shuttering): W-We had planned, we had learned so much-  
Ikari: It was this event that gave you insight to the Evangelions. It was this event that set the whole Human Instrumentality Project on track.  
(The tech is eagerly looking at the Borderline chart.)  
Tech A: 3, 2, 1, Borderline! ...!  
(Outside the glass, there is stirring.)  
Ikari: Can you watch? No? Then look at that...  
(Gendo looks up and see that Shinji is looking out the observation glass, his face pressed against it.)  
Gendo (shouting): My GOD, Shinji!! Don't look!  
(The boy looks back at his father, his eyes bright.)  
Young Shinji: Papa?  
(Gendo begins running toward the boy, pushing past awed techs. He got to the boy just in time to see it all begin.)  
(There is a sudden scream, a scream that seems to echo. Yui's scream. The last sound that Gendo ever heard her make. Unwillingly, Gendo lifts his eyes from his son's innocent, confused face. Outside the control center, the purple Evangelion twists and writhes in its restraint harness. Its growls are primal and chilling. Its face and neck warp and curve at strange angles. Its hands clench and suddenly, the EVA breaks free of the metal restraints.)  
(Thick cables and shrapnel flew in all directions, sprinkling the entire containment chamber.)  
Gendo (shouting): YUI!!  
(The EVA suddenly breaks the last of the restraining cables, tearing its arms forth and lashing the armored walls of the test chamber with the shredded wires. One of the wires slam into the observation window, making the reinforced glass spider-web in all directions.)  
Gendo (whispering): No, please...don't-  
(The EVA grabs its head and staggers about the containment chamber, slamming into a nearby wall and shaking several stunned techs to the floor. The EVA seems to have be something terrible building inside it and Gendo trembles, his fingers digging into a twisting Shinji's shoulders. Then...It went BERSERK...)  
(The EVA throws back its head, opens its mouth, and roars, sending flakes of armor raining down from its jaw. Suddenly, the Evangelion wraps its arms about its shoulders, seemingly trying to contain the horrible rage inside it. The EVA trembles as it seems to draw inside itself, fighting with itself. Abruptly, it throws back its head again and buried its fingers into the top of the brain-case. With a howl that is as inhuman as the Angels themselves, the EVA drags its fingers down the face of the mecha. Blood splashed across the white walls of the containment chamber and Gendo could only stare on. The EVA's concealed green eyes are suddenly visible and the EVA leans close to the observation center. Shinji is crying, pressing his face against Gendo's leg. Gendo could only stare at the EVA, his eyes meeting the green, hate-filled, gleeful ones of the horrible creation.)  
Gendo (whispering): In the love of God...Yui?  
(The EVA only grins, blood draining from the eight deep scars in its head armor...)  
  
Gendo (pounding his fist on the table): Why?! Damn it, someone tell me, why?!  
Seele: You know the answer to that.  
Fuyutsuki: You sought the power that was not yours.  
Rei: ...and so I am.  
Yui: Your wife is dead...because of your arrogance...the arrogance of Man.  
(Gendo, with his head bowed, feels his psyche began to break down...)   
---------------------------------------------------  
Girl: Such a sad look for such pretty eyes.  
Shinji: Huh?  
(The young pilot looks up and finds himself staring into a pair of violet eyes. They watch him with easy curiosity that seems to belong.)  
Shinji: What? Who-  
Girl (laughing): Where? When? What are you thinking about?  
(Shinji blinks, trying to understand what is happening. He is in the middle of a grassy hill, one moment he was alone, then, suddenly this girl is standing over him.)  
Shinji: ...life?  
Girl: You don't sound sure.  
Shinji (sitting up, his back to the girl): Every...Every time I think that I almost understand what I am here for...something happens.  
(The girl makes a thoughtful sound and comes to sit next to Shinji. Her light tank-top stirs in the breeze. She is wearing a pair of shorts that remind Shinji of school...specifically track. The boy blushs and turns his eyes away.)  
Girl (slowly): You are trying to understand where you fit in, huh? That's not hard. You fit where you make your place.  
Shinji (blinks): Huh?  
Girl (smiling over at him): You don't think about it. It just happens. Everyone has their place in this world.   
(She turns her head toward the small group of birds darting across the sky. She sighs, closing her eyes.)  
Girl: Everything has its place. Wonderful things...horrible things...everything. That's what makes this world so unique, so vital.  
Shinji: ...  
(The girl suddenly turns towards Shinji and brings her face close to his. It looked for the world like she was about to kiss him. The boy jumps, but he can't make himself move away. Her eyes are lazy and there is a laughing grin on her lips.)  
Girl (softly): You will find your place...this I promise. You might already have a place, you just don't know it yet. As for living...take it a day at a time. That is all anyone can ask, right?  
Shinji: Uh...er, yeah.  
Girl (giggling): You are so cute when you blush!  
Shinji (looking down, trying to hide the color in his cheeks): ...  
Girl (more seriously): But I mean what I said. Everyone has a place in this world.   
(Her eyes close and she seems otherworldly for a moment.)   
Girl (dreamily): I have a talent for these sort of things. (Big smile, open eyes) Trust me!  
Shinji: Y-Yeah.  
Female voice: Hikaru? Where are you, Hikaru?  
(The girl, Hikaru, flinches and looks regrettably over her shoulder.)  
Hikaru (softly): Damn! She's so fast!  
Shinji (looking back toward the voice): Who?  
Hikaru: My guardian. Uh-  
Female voice: Hikaru! How many times-  
(The woman officer stops when she sees who she's with.)  
Female officer: ...!!!  
Hikaru: Yeah, yeah, I know Ms Natasha.  
(The girl stands up and begins walking toward the blond officer. The woman is still staring at Shinji with this strange look of horror on her face.)  
Shinji (waving nervously): Uh...hi...  
(The blond woman slaps her forehead and curses brutally under her breath. The woman sort of sounds like Asuka when she was on a rant.)  
Natasha (whispering angrily): Hikaru! How could-  
Hikaru (throwing her hands in the air): I surrender. Take me back. Geez, a girl can't even jog without a person jumping down her throat.   
(The foreign woman grits her teeth and takes the girl's arm.)  
Natasha: We have a few things do discuss, young lady! And you!  
Shinji (pointing a finger at himself): Me?   
Natasha: Yes! Forget all about this, understood?  
Shinji: ...?  
Natasha: Humph! Come along, Hikaru!   
Hikaru (waving cheerfully over her shoulder): See you later!  
Shinji (scratching the back of his head): Uh...yeah...  
------------------------------------------------  
Fuyutsuki: Humph. It's almost like they were waiting for this in order to get a foothold in NERV.  
Ritsuko: There's not much we can do. The Sixth Child is Japanese, but she has been studying abroad in Russia. She is the designated pilot for the first of Mascow's production Evangelions.   
(The sub-commander and Ritsuko are in the Gendo Ikari's office. The light coming in from the wall of windows behind the sub-commander paint the room in blood-red light. The sub-commander is seated at the single desk, his hands folded on its hard surface. Ritsuko is on the other side of the desk, her hands buried in her lab-coat's pockets.)  
Fuyutsuki: Can this Child be trusted? Could she-  
Ritsuko: No. Up to three years ago, she was attending a normal Elementary school, with friends, family...everything checks out.   
Fuyutsuki (quietly): ...and then, three years ago?  
Ritsuko: ...there was...an incident.  
Fuyutsuki: An incident?  
Ritsuko (looking away): There is no scientific proof. But...  
Fuyutsuki (looking down at the file before him): This is...disturbing. Why is it that these Children always have something like this?  
Ritsuko (sighing): I don't know if it is a blessing or a curse that she does not remember anything.   
Fuyutsuki: Will this effect her abilities?  
Ritsuko: No. She remembers nothing. Her first activation test with her EVA had her sychro-ratio at 23%...before...well...the incident.  
Fuyutsuki (his eyes scanning over the read-out): Is that possible?! Other than young Ikari-  
Ritsuko: She increased this ratio through out her career so far. The Russians have been...careful.  
Fuyutsuki: Well, perhaps it is a blessing that Ikari is having...problems. We could surely use all the help we can get.  
Ritsuko: ...  
Fuyutsuki (looking closely at the doctor): ...I see.  
------------------------------------------------  
Shinji: I'm home!  
Asuka (shouting): About damn time, you dork! We're starving! Where were you?!   
Shinji: Sorry, sorry! I got...caught up.  
Asuka (poking her head around the corner): "Caught up?!" How does a dummkopf like you get "caught up?!"   
Misato (soothingly): Asuka...calm down. The thing is he's home now.  
Asuka (snorting): Yeah, hours later. He probably got lost.  
(Shinji feels his cheeks burn, but he quietly takes off his shoes and walks toward the kitchen. He feels Asuka's eyes on him and glances over at her. She has a strange look on her face, but a second later, it turns into a scowl.)  
Asuka: What are you looking at?  
Shinji: Nothing!  
Asuka: Are you saying I'm nothing?!  
Shinji (flinching): I-I didn't say that!  
Asuka: You-  
Misato: Asuka...  
Asuka: -idiot.  
(The girl lays down on the pillow in front of the TV, ignoring Pen-Pen who stares at her with a cocked head.)  
(Misato is in the kitchen, pulling another can of beer from her personal horde. Shinji frowns.)  
Shinji: Misato...we haven't even had dinner, yet.  
Misato: Don't you start.   
Shinji (sighing): Yes, ma'am.  
(Misato opens the beer can with an expert flick of her finger and lifts the can to her lips. In mid-motion, she reaches out with her other hand and plucks a stalk of grass of his shoulder.)  
Misato: Hmmm? Where did you lay in grass?  
(Shinji sees the grass and blushs as he sets the bag on the counter.)  
Shinji (stumbling): Uh-er-well, it was such a nice day that I thought I would go to a peaceful spot I knew of outside the city.  
Misato (frowning slightly): You left the city?  
Shinji (pulling noodles, dry rice, ginger, water chestnut, and several other ingredients out of the bag): I-I stayed in...sight.  
Misato: ...  
(The Major studies Shinji and wonders at his colored cheeks. He didn't make a habit of lying to her...about anything. She wondered...)  
Misato (slowly): Shinji?   
Shinji (sweating a little): Y-Yes, Misato?  
(Misato leans close and looks her young charge right in the eyes.)  
Misato (suddenly grinning widely): Did you go to see a girl?  
Shinji (eyes snapping wide): What?! No!  
Misato (laughing): Oh, you are so fun to tease!  
Shinji (gritting his teeth): ...  
(Misato keeps the smile on her face as she leaves the kitchen. Asuka continues to watch TV with Pen-Pen, even when the major steps over her. Once inside her room-)  
Misato (picking up the phone, dialing, thinking): What could it be?  
Misato (into the phone): It's me...  
------------------------------------------------  
Seele: Monstrous  
Ikari: Unforgivable.  
Fuyutsuki: Pathetic.  
Yui: Your fault.  
(Gendo Ikari is still in the metal chair, but he is no longer the calm , composed Supreme Commander of NERV. Gendo's head is bowed and his hands are now clasped together, pressing against his forehead as if in desperate prayer.)  
Gendo: ...  
Seele: You failed us. You are of no more use to us!  
Fuyutsuki: You failed NERV. You are of no more use to us.  
Yui (bleeding scars on her face): You failed me! I care nothing for a monster who sends his wife to die...alone.  
Shinji (calm and cold): And now you continue with me. You torture me. You hate me. You watch gleefully as my soul is ripped out of me time and again!   
(Gendo seems to draw in on himself as the voices batter his shredding sanity. For too long, he had locked them away, ignoring them and hoping secretly that they would go away.)   
Gendo (softly): ...I have...failed...Yui...Rei....Shinji!  
Fuyutsuki (raising a cynical brow): You disgust me. You are no better than your son.  
(Gendo shuts his eyes, but he sees his son's sobbing face. The face that the boy had so many years ago.)  
Young Shinji (barely understandable): P-P-Papa! D-Don't l-leave-me!   
Gendo: ...kill...me...  
Fuyutsuki: You want release?  
Seele: The great Gendo Ikari is a small man after all.  
Yui (smirk on her bleeding face): You are no better than Shinji.  
Gendo: ...yes..  
------------------------------------------------  
(Misato has a grim look on her face that she usually reserves for Angels, but this is one of the few cases where she is willing to make an exception. Her arms are crossed under her breasts and her eyes are cold.)  
Misato: Just who do you think you are? I was only informed thirty minutes ago of your arrival and you let your charge go about her business?  
(The lean, hard military woman before her lifts a blond brow.)  
Natasha: Is there a problem with that?  
Misato: Damn right, there is a problem. I realize that there are parts of the world that practice a ridiculous lack of protocol, but you are in Japan now. It would be wise to remember that before you go over someone's head, Lieutenant Karpov.  
(The Russian woman's fists tighten violently behind her back, but her face remains completely cold and composed.)  
Natasha (mocking): I didn't realize that NERV was afraid of little girls, Major Katsuragi. I will take that into account next time.  
Misato: ...I see that you aren't here to make friends.  
Natasha (her voice a shade softer): In war, it is never wise to make friends or lovers. I'm sure that you...can relate.  
(Misato jerks as if the woman has slapped her. For a moment her eyes turn away toward the giant NERV insignia painted on the gun-metal gray wall next to the two of them. She has never really noticed that the emblem was entirely red...blood red.)  
Misato: ...It would be wise not to get too familiar with me, Lieutenant.   
(Natasha's eyes return to their former chilled gaze.)  
Natasha: Yes, ma'am.  
Misato: ...For better or worse, you are under the employ of NERV. Any loyalties to your former government or agencies are void as of now. Before you even consider going over my head again, know that you are being watched! You are here under the command of the Committee...do not disappoint them, or me!  
(Misato turns and begins walking away.)  
Misato: Dismissed.  
Natasha: Yes, ma'am.  
Misato and Natasha (thinking): Bitch.  
------------------------------------------------  
(The classroom is noisy as usual. Shinji looks around and wonders.)  
Shinji (thinking): My place...my place is here?  
Touji (wrapping his arm around the pilot's neck): Hey, Shinji! Where the hell did you go after the market?! I thought you said that you would be right back!  
(Shinji jumps and looks up with guilt written all over his face.)  
Shinji (stammering): S-Sorry, Touji! I-I just...forgot-  
Touji (snorting): "Forgot?!" What sort of lame excuse is that?!   
Shinji (waving his hands in surrender): Sorry! Sorry, I have been under a lot of stress lately!  
Touji (glaring for a moment, before sighing): You EVA pilots are so weird.  
Kensuke (sitting on the desk next to Touji): You disappeared so suddenly that I didn't get to tell you about the big news!  
Shinji (looking over at Kensuke, eyes confused): "Big news?"   
Kensuke (nodding excitedly): Yeah! The big news about the new EVA that just arrived! I haven't been able to get any pictures or anything, but my Dad's lab was the one responsible for the new EVA's relocation into NERV!  
(Kensuke suddenly clasps his hands tightly before his chest.)  
Kensuke (tears in his eyes): Oh! Oh, maybe they have finally decided that I am worthy of being an EVA pilot! They brought this one all the way from Mascow!   
Shinji (drawing back slightly): Mas...cow...  
(The image of Hikaru's guardian flashes in the boy's mind.)  
Shinji (thinking): Could it be...?   
(Just then, the old teacher came shuffling into the classroom. Usually, this was totally ignored by the class until Hikari would take command. But this time, there was something to gape at. This time, the young, smiling Hikaru is walking in behind him.)  
Shinji: ...!  
Touji: Wow!  
Kensuke (frowning): Hmmm.  
(Hikaru's eyes roam the classroom and she spots Shinji. Her eyes went big and she waves discreetly at him. Shinji blushes as his two friends look between the pilot and the new girl. Touji and Kensuke aren't the only ones to notice this. Asuka stops mid-conversation with Hikari when she spots the subtle, silent exchange between Shinji and Hikaru.)  
Asuka (thinking): ...What the hell?!  
(The teacher make a stumbling, vague introduction. When his students just gaze blankly at him, he sighs and gestures to Hikaru. The girl bows respectfully to the teacher and turns to her new class.)  
Hikaru (smiling warmly): Nice to meet all of you! My name is Sohma Hikaru!   
(There was a general hush of awe over the class as the girl walks to her new seat...right next to Shinji.)  
Hikaru (looking over at Shinji out of the corner of her eye, whispering): Hi!  
Shinji (smiling nervously): H-Hi...  
(Shinji suddenly becomes aware that he was being watched. He looks around and sees that a few of his classmates are looked on with confused interest in their eyes. This isn't what has snagged Shinji's attention. He looks to his right and finds Asuka with death burning in her eyes.)  
Shinji (jumping a little in his seat): ...!!  
Asuka (turning violently away from him, scowling out the window, thinking): Dummkopf!!!  
(The pencil she has been sketching with snaps between her fingers.)  
------------------------------------------------  
Voice (soft, gentle): Don't die...  
(Gendo feels a small hand on his clasped ones. The faces of his inner demons are gone. The spotlight has merged into a greater, gentler light. He finds himself looking up into eyes too familiar.)  
Gendo: Who...?  
Little Girl (giggling): Someone you will love very much.  
Gendo: ....!!  
Gendo (whispering): ...you are...  
Little Girl (smoothing the hair from his forehead): Only when the time is right.  
Gendo (bowing his head once more): My scenario...has faded away. It is no longer possible to control the outcome...  
Little Girl: Is this so bad?  
Gendo: I...can't see the future anymore.  
Little Girl: Do you know what you want?  
Gendo (softly): ...yes.  
Little Girl (resting a tiny hand on his head): Then that is good enough...  
------------------------------------------------  
(The ceiling is odd. He has never seen it before. It is dark, but not pitch black. There are no windows...no sound. Rather, until the person beside his bed moves. Turning his head slowly, he sees a pale form sitting in the chair next to him.)  
Gendo (groggy): ...Rei...  
Rei: ...yes.  
Gendo: ...you survived...so the Angel...  
Rei: ...Units 01 and 02 stopped the Angel. Unit 02 received severe damage to its left arm. Unit 01 had severe structural damage to its torso. Both are operational on a limited bases.  
Gendo: I see...  
Rei: ...  
Gendo: ...   
Rei: ...what did you dream?  
Gendo (turning weakly toward the girl): What?  
Rei (did not look at Gendo): You...were in pain...  
Gendo: ...I...received an answer to a long asked question.  
Rei (standing): ...that's good for you.  
(Rei slowly walks to the door. She presses the open button, revealing the startled face of Ritsuko.)  
Ritsuko (blinking): ...?!  
Rei: ...excuse me.  
(Ritsuko steps to the side and the girl walks past and heads down the lonely hall. Ritsuko looks from Rei's receding back to Gendo who stares at her with a fading gaze.)  
Ritsuko: ...Ge...sir.   
(Struggling with herself, Dr. Akagi steps into the room and adjusts the lights a little so that she can see.)  
Gendo: ...Dr...Ritsuko.   
(The doctor jerks when the Supreme Commander says her name. Her hands ball into fists within her lab-coat, but she forces her face to remain distant.)  
Ritsuko: I just came to check on you.  
(Ritsuko comes to Ikari's side and sits down in the chair Rei has just vacated. She calmly takes Gendo's unresisting wrist and begins taking his pulse.)  
Gendo (his eyes drawing closed): ...Ritsuko...?  
Ritsuko (gazing at her watch): Yes, sir?  
Gendo: ...I'm...sorry...  
Ritsuko: ...!!  
(Her wide eyes turn to the Supreme Commander's face, but he is asleep. Her hands are trembling violently and she is slowly shaking her head. When she cannot hold back any longer, she wraps her arms around herself and begins to sob.)  
------------------------------------------------  
(Lunch time comes and Shinji is just getting his packed meal out when Hikaru comes up to him.)  
Hikaru: I thought we would meet again! I just didn't realize it would be so soon!  
(Shinji looks up at the girl and can only stare. Her face seems to glow as he watches it.)  
Hikaru (reaching out and touching Shinji's arm): I had this...feeling about you and my feelings are never wrong!  
(A hand suddenly grabs Hikaru's and jerks it away from Shinji. Hikaru turns toward the furious, blue glare of Asuka Langley Soryu.)  
Asuka (snarling): Just who do you think you are?! Walking in here and grabbing people like that?!  
  
Hikaru (her eyebrows lift): Who are you?  
Shinji (standing up, trying to stay calm): O-Oh, yeah, you two haven't been formally introduced! Hikaru, this is Soryu Asuka. Asuka, this-  
Asuka (turning on Shinji): I'm not stupid, baka Shinji! I heard her introduce herself at the beginning of class!   
(Her eyes narrow dangerously.)  
Asuka (deathly quiet): What I do want to know is just how you know her?  
Hikaru (tearing her hand from Asuka's tight grasp): Don't talk to Shinji that way! You are a very rude person!  
Asuka (setting her hands on her hips): Oh really, new girl? Well, no one cares what you think! You see, I'm a legendary EVA pilot around here!  
Hikaru (a "so-what" look on her face): So? I'm an EVA pilot, too.  
Asuka and Shinji: What?!  
Asuka: Y-You mean-  
Shinji (thoughtfully): The new transfer from Mascow...  
Asuka (turning on Shinji again): You knew about this?!  
Shinji (backing up, hands up, trying to soothe Asuka's temper): I-I didn't know until just now-  
Asuka: "Just now?" What are you, stupid?! How could you forget?!  
Touji: So...there's a new kid in NERV, too, huh?  
Hikaru (cautiously looking over at the lean, athletic student): ...yeah. I was under the impression that people already knew.  
(At everyone's blank looks, Hikaru flashes a smile.)  
Hikaru: Well, now you know.  
Shinji: ...yeah.  
Asuka: Humph!  
Kensuke (sighing): Oh, well.  
Touji: ...  
Hikari (looking at Asuka to check her temper, then): Well, welcome to our class. If you need something or need to know something about the city, don't hesitate to ask.  
Hikaru (her face relaxing into its former smile): Thank you...oh, yeah! I almost forgot!  
(The girl digs into the side pocket of her school skirt and pulls out some instructions written in Russian.)  
Hikaru (looking over at Shinji): Shinji, if it wouldn't be too much trouble...could you walk me home? I don't know the city streets yet, so-  
Asuka (exploding): ARRGHH!!!  
(Her slap seems to echo throughout the entire school...)  
------------------------------------------------  
(It is after school and the children are going their separate ways. Hikaru looks over at Shinji sadly.)  
Hikaru (quietly): I'm so sorry.  
Shinji: ...why?  
Hikaru (her hands folding in front of her): I...well...I knew that there was a good chance of Asuka...um...going off like that.  
(Her shame made her bow her head slightly.)  
Hikaru (quietly): I...just didn't realize that you would...shield me...like that.  
(Shinji's left cheek is still red from Asuka's vicious slap. He would never forget Hikaru's shocked gasp or Asuka's look of complete horror when she realized who she had struck.)  
Hikaru: Shinji...you shouldn't have done that...I can defend myself.  
Shinji (shaking his head): Don't worry about it. You couldn't have known about how far Asuka can go when she's mad. I do. She's slapped me before, so I knew what to expect.  
Hikaru (shocked): She's slapped you before?! Why?!  
(Shinji looks away from his companion's wide-eyed stare, feeling the rest of his face go red. There is no way he could tell her about that without seeming like a pervert!)  
Shinji (nervously): I-It was a silly, little misunderstanding. Nothing to worry about now!  
Hikaru (looking down at the sidewalk in front of her again): Oh. Well, I meant what I said before... Shinji, I-I knew that Asuka was going explode. I wanted her to do that!  
Shinji (stunned): Why would you do that?  
Hikaru (her hands clenching): Well, I thought it was so mean how she was picking on you! I-I wanted to...punish her.  
Shinji (sighing): Hikaru...  
Hikaru (looking over at him): Yes?  
Shinji: ...its nothing.   
Hikaru: ...  
(The two of them walk in silence for a few moments, then,)  
Shinji: Uh...so you are going to be an EVA pilot-  
Hikaru (giggling, her bright nature returning): I already am an EVA pilot, Shinji! I have been for about three years now!  
Shinji (blinking): Oh.   
Hikaru: It's an interesting experience...something to keep me occupied.   
Shinji (confused look): "Occupied?"  
Hikaru: Yeah, you know, something to challenge me.  
Shinji (blank): "Challenge" you?  
Hikaru (laughing): Are you going to repeat everything I say?  
(Shinji blushing)  
(The girl chuckles to herself and turns to look up at the small apartment building that looms before them.)  
Hikaru: So this is it.  
Shinji: Um...yeah.  
(Taking his hand easily in hers, Hikaru tugs Shinji after her.)  
Hikaru: Come on. I'm sure that Ms Natasha has got some tea from the local store by now. She's very good with staying on top of things.  
Shinji (hesitating a little): Yeah...I'm sure she is... Are you sure that this is okay? Last time-  
Hikaru (waving him off): Oh, she was just under a lot of stress. Don't worry about her. She might have a vicious bark, but she's really a kitten underneath.   
Shinji (gazing at Hikaru with an incredulous look on his face): If you say so.  
(They take the elevator to the fifth floor of the building and they come to the door of Hikaru's apartment. She opens the door.)  
Hikaru (calling): I'm home!  
Natasha (calling back): Great. I'm getting hungry.  
(Then, there is the sound of Natasha grunting. Shinji looks at Hikaru who smiles and walks into the apartment. The boy follows nervously and looks around the girl's shoulder.)  
Hikaru (taking off her shoes): Did you get green tea, Ms Natasha?  
Natasha (breathing heavily): Yeah, yeah. I got it. I don't understand how you can stand that stuff.  
(Shinji cautiously follows Hikaru's lead and walks after the girl as she enters the main room. There are boxes piled around with Russian text on them. In one corner, a TV sits on one of the boxes, its sound turned low. The next thing Shinji sees is Natasha, clad only in a dark tank-top and briefs.)   
Shinji: ...!  
(The woman had been doing push ups until she heard the boy's gasp. She looks around her sweaty shoulder.)  
Natasha: What the hell is he doing here, Hikaru?  
Hikaru (unfazed by Natasha's sharp tone): Shinji was nice enough to show me the way home. I invited him up for a cup of tea.  
Natasha (snorting and returning to her exercise): You and your courtesies..Goddamned Japanese.  
Hikaru: Would you like some, Ms Natasha?  
Natasha: Hell, no. I'm busy and I don't feel like being sick to my stomach right now.  
(Turning to Shinji.)  
Hikaru: Please excuse Ms Natasha. She's never in a good mood when she is working out.  
Shinji: ...yeah.  
------------------------------------------------  
(Misato opens the door to her apartment with a tired sigh.)  
Misato (calling): I'm home.  
(Silence)  
Misato (calling): Hello? Shinji? Asuka? Anyone home?  
(Misato frowns as no answer comes back. She walks into the apartment, slips off her shoes, and walks into the main room. The silence is eerie and unnatural. She looks back and sees Asuka's shoes in the hallway.)  
Misato: Asuka?   
(She looks in the kitchen and when she doesn't find her there, she heads towards the girl's bedroom. She finds the door shut.)  
Misato (softly): Asuka? Are you okay in there?  
(Silence)  
Misato: Asuka?  
Asuka (very quiet): ...leave me...alone...  
Misato: ...? Is there something-  
Asuka: NO!! Just leave me...alone! ...please...  
Misato: Oh.....do you know where Shinji-  
Asuka (shouting): Why would I know where that idiot is?!  
Misato: ...  
Asuka (quietly): ...just...go away...  
Misato: ...okay...I'll be here...if you need me.  
Asuka: ...  
(Misato sighes and walks toward the kitchen, having a sudden craving for a cold beer.)   
------------------------------------------------  
(Ritsuko and Maya are overseeing the final tasks of EVA Unit 04's relocation.)  
Maya: ...well, that's that.  
Ritsuko: Yep, one more EVA to look after. We should be so lucky.  
Maya (looking over at Ritsuko): I feel a little nervous about working with someone else's project. Especially after that first activation test.  
Ritsuko (folding her arms): It seems to be a stigma with the Evangelions that dead and suffering follow their every step. It would seem that it is just their lot in life.  
Maya (wrapping her arms around her shoulders): I can't believe that the Sixth Child doesn't remember anything.  
Ritsuko (making a note on her clipboard): I am not so shocked. We have had the same thing happen with the Third Child.   
Maya: B-But, ma'am. It is just so horrible-  
Ritsuko: I think that worst part of it all was that the Project Director was the Sixth Child's older brother.  
Maya: ...! My God...  
(The two women look up at the EVA before them. Unit 04's emotionless eyes stare back, set within the black and red shell of its face...)  
------------------------------------------------  
(Tap...tap...tap...tap...)  
(The Supreme Commander of NERV walks slowly toward his inner sanctum. While the doctor at the infirmary had urged him to use crutches, Gendo had refused to be reduced to such a state. Rather, he uses a simple black cane he had received so many years ago. He never thought he would have had to use it.)  
(The door to his office slides open with a soft hiss and he looks within. The cryptic, taunting pattern of the Tree of Life is sprawled across the ceiling and floor. At the opposite end of the room, Fuyutsuki stands beside the desk, waiting.)  
Fuyutsuki: I see that you refused the advice of the medical staff.   
Gendo: You expected anything else from me, Professor?  
Fuyutsuki (brow arched): Perhaps I have come to know you too well, sir.  
(Gendo began limping slowly toward his desk.)  
Gendo: Complete understanding of anything, especially something as complex as a human being, is an impossibility.  
Fuyutsuki (arms folded behind his back): I see that while your body is still recovering, your mind is in top form.  
Gendo: ...  
(He comes to his chair and sits down heavily. The Supreme Commander's eyes turn toward the file on his desk.)  
Gendo: ...what is that?  
Fuyutsuki: ...While you were recovering...we had an addition sent to us, courtesy of Seele.  
Gendo: How...considerate of them.  
(He picks up the file and begins to read. After a few moments, his fingers tighten slightly on the file.)  
Gendo (very quietly): I see that they...have been busy.  
-----------------------------------------------  
(Night has fallen upon the city of Tokyo-3. Shinji has finally managed to make his exit of Sohma's apartment. He isn't looking forward to facing Asuka at home, but he knows that he has to come back sometime. The image of her stricken eyes keep haunting him at strange moments. Hikaru hadn't wanted him to leave so soon and Natasha...well, she just didn't care one way or another.)  
Shinji (thinking): A new EVA pilot. Will she help us...or will she be against us...like him?  
(The streetlights of Tokyo-3's streets wash over him in gentle waves as he heads toward Katsuragi's apartment. The city is almost completely silent now. There are not many who party anymore. Shinji briefly wonders if Misato would be waiting up for him, then dismisses the thought. She isn't his mother. It is her responsibility to make sure he didn't get himself killed...nothing more.)  
(Shinji is so intent on his inner thoughts, he doesn't notice another small shadow merge with his own.)  
Rei: Pilot Ikari...  
(Shinji gives a shout and turns toward the voice. Rei stares at him, not a foot away.)  
Shinji (rubbing the back of his neck): You gave me a scare, Rei. You have to stop doing that!  
Rei: ...doing what?  
Shinji: Well...um...stop sneaking up on me.  
Rei: I did not sneak up on you. You were too deep in thought to notice my presence.  
Shinji: Oh, yeah...sorry.  
Rei: ...  
Shinji (looking determinedly cheerful): Is there something I can help you with?  
Rei: ...he has awoken.  
Shinji: Huh?  
Rei: You asked me to watch over Commander Ikari. He has awoken.  
Shinji: ...how is he?  
Rei (looking away): He suffered. He met himself.  
Shinji (trying to understand what the girl was saying): He met himself?  
Rei: ...yes.  
Shinji: Is he okay now?  
Rei: ...he is...not without suffering...  
Shinji: ...  
Rei (looking right into Shinji's eyes): He is sorry. He will not fail again.  
Shinji: ...?  
(Rei turns away from Shinji and begins walking away into the darkness.)  
Shinji (suddenly): Rei?  
(The girl stops under a streetlight, but doesn't look back.)  
Shinji: T-Thank you.  
Rei: .....you are welcome...  
(She continues on silently while young Ikari watches after her.)  
-----------------------------------------------  
Seele: Our Trojan Horse has arrived and has been accepted.  
Seele: Ikari will be brought to heel this time.  
Seele: When will it begin?  
Seele: Soon, our scenario is proceeding as planned.  
Seele: Then, soon our final chapter will be written.  
Seele: It would be wise to make extra precautions. Is the woman trustworthy?  
Seele: She will serve herself and in that, will serve us. It will win our hand without us having to show our cards.  
Seele: Caution is still vital. No matter how wounded Ikari may seem, sometimes it's the wounded ones that do the most damage.   
Seele: ...and the Lance is still outside our influence.   
Seele: All in good time...  
------------------------------------------------  
(The front door opens and Shinji steps inside. It is very late. He now wishes that he hadn't let Hikaru talk him into staying so long. It is going to be a rough day tomorrow at school.)  
(The apartment is dark and Shinji carefully takes off his shoes. There is no need to wake everyone up. In the back of his mind, he knows he is more concerned about one of his roommates being awakened than the other.)  
(Shinji slowly tip-toes across the floor, making his way for his own room.)  
Asuka: You are late.  
Shinji (turning toward the voice with a start): A-Asuka! What are you doing up?  
(The girl is at the kitchen table, her head resting on her folded arms.)  
Asuka (softly): I was...up.  
Shinji (moving to her side): Are your injuries hurting you? I could get some pain-killers-  
Asuka: It wasn't that! I was...I was...  
(Asuka makes frustrated sound. Shinji stands there for a moment and his hands move nervously at his sides.)  
Shinji (gently): Asuka...you must be tired. Why don't you go to bed?  
Asuka (looking up at him from under her bangs): Who are you, my mother?  
Shinji (feeling his cheeks burn): N-No, I-well-I...you should be resting...  
Asuka (watching Shinji carefully): ...why do you care?  
Shinji (his shoulders moving uncomfortably): I...um...well...  
(Shinji sighs, calms himself, and speaks softly.)  
Shinji: I don't like seeing you in pain, Asuka. Please, go get some rest.  
Asuka (closing her eyes): Shinji?  
Shinji: Y-Yes?  
Asuka: Think I will need help getting back to my room. My leg is aching horribly.  
Shinji (nodding): Of course, here give me your arm.  
(Asuka feels Shinji's hand gently touch her arm and settle it over his lean shoulders. It is the gentleness that makes Asuka flinch.)  
Asuka (thinking): Why does he always have to be so gentle with me?! I'm not fragile! I'm strong. I can...take care of myself! I don't want...to depend...on someone else...  
(Shinji is totally unaware of the war going on inside his companion's head. He can hardly get past the feel of Asuka's warm side pressed against his. He looks over at her out of the corner of his eye. She is wearing that cream colored, baggy shirt she always wears when she sleeps. The V-neck of the shirt gives the boy an elusive glimpse of Asuka's soft skin underneath. Shinji blushes and looks away, thankful that they are almost to the redheaded pilot's room. If she catches him in this condition...he doesn't even want to think about the consequences...)  
Asuka (softly): ...Shinji?  
Shinji: Y-Yes?  
Asuka: You...were with that new girl the whole day...weren't you?  
(Shinji jerks and looks longingly at Asuka's door.)  
Shinji: W-What do you mean?  
Asuka (her hand tightening over his shoulder): Don't play stupid with me now. You were with that Hikaru Sohma. I saw...the two of you walking away together.  
Shinji (sighing): Asuka...she needed to be shown the way home.  
Asuka (turning her face away from his): And you were only too eager to help her! It happens every time! A man gets a look at a pretty face and forgets everything else!   
(Shinji looks over at Asuka. It was strange, hearing this come from her.)  
Shinji: Uh...Asuka-  
Asuka (glaring over at him): What, Third Child?  
Shinji (ducking his head): N-Nothing-  
Asuka: You are always saying that! What do you do, walk around all day thinking about nothing?!  
Shinji: ...  
(Asuka turns her head away as the two of them came to her door.)  
Asuka (quietly): ...Shinji?   
Shinji: Hmmm?  
(He opens her door and begins walking her inside.)  
Asuka: Do you think that I'm pretty?  
(Shinji stumbles.)  
Shinji: What?  
Asuka: Do you think I'm pretty?  
Shinji: I...well-um...every boy in school-  
Asuka (fuming): I didn't ask about every boy in school! I asked about you!  
Shinji (cheeks burning in the darkness): ...how could ask me that?  
Asuka: ...?  
Shinji: Y-You know that you are one of the most...beautiful girls I know...  
(Shinji abruptly shifts so that he was helping Asuka sit down on her bed. His eyes are turned away and Asuka's eyes are very bright in the darkness.)  
Asuka: ...  
Shinji: ...you shouldn't put all your credit in you looks, though...Asuka...  
Asuka: ...?  
Shinji: You are more than a pretty face...but you don't like thinking about that...because it...hurts.  
(Asuka turns her head away.)  
Shinji (his voice different, in a tone Asuka has never heard from the boy before): You don't offer your soul to others because it hurts too much when that is rejected. You don't want to know that kind of pain...   
Asuka: ...what do you...know?  
Shinji: ...I know what I see...  
Asuka: ...Shinji?  
Shinji: Yes?  
Asuka: ...do you...hate me?  
Shinji (eyes snapping wide): Huh?  
Asuka: Do you hate me?  
(Shinji silently shakes his head.)  
Asuka (suddenly taking his face between her hands): Good...  
(And she kisses him.)  
------------------------------------------------  
To be Continued....   
Author's Note:  
Well...that's done! Yeah, I know, some of you are going to hate me for leaving off this chapter like that, but sometimes it's nice to leave something up to the reader.  
First things first, yes, I did get the idea of the little girl from Axel Terizaki's fan fic, "Child of Love," but remember that the future is never set. I might be playing with your minds... I'll leave that for you to decide. I was also inspired indirectly for the Gendo part of this story by TOH's fan fic, HERZ.  
One last thing before I wrap this up. I did make Ritsuko a little emotional in this chapter. I will reveal more about that as time goes on.  
That's all for now. Coming soon: "Fight to the Finish!" Watch for it!  
If you have C&C, please email me at omnidragon@trigun.com!!  
  
  



	3. Fight to the Finish

--------------------------  
The Characters and concept of Neon Genesis Evangelion are property of Gainax. I created this "scenario" in the spirit of the TV series. I made it in the hope that it would open up people's minds and give something to a series that really touched me. This little series that I have created is a piece of fan fiction thought up by yours truly, so if you are going to copy or distribute this work, please give credit where it is due, k? Now enjoy!  
--------------------------  
Evangelion: Step beyond the Abyss  
  
Chapter Three: Fight to the Finish  
By: N. T. Martin  
  
  
------------------------------------------------  
BACKGROUND: If you happened to miss it (which is unlikely) or it has been a while since you've read from SBTA (shame on you!), here's a little run down on what happened last chapter...  
Gendo Ikari, caught in the corridors of his subconscious, was forced to face the demons of his past. Under the constant pressure, the Commander began to lose his sanity, but with the guidance of a curious vision, managed to come back to the world of the living.  
In the meantime, Asuka returns home and Shinji runs from his friends' teasing. Outside the city, Shinji met a beautiful, mysterious girl he had never seen before. As it turned out, she was Hikaru Sohma, the Sixth Child.  
Back at NERV, Misato finds herself faced with a new arrival, Natasha Karpov, Hikaru companion and SEELE's pawn.  
Finally, Shinji was kissed for the second time in his life...  
------------------------------------------------  
Misato (yawning loudly): Good morning, everyone.  
Asuka: Good morning, Misato.  
Shinji (stammering): Y-Yes, good morning, Misato.  
(Asuka is eating at the kitchen table while Shinji is putting out a plate for the major. He watches disapprovingly as the major walks past the kitchen table and heads right for the refrigerator.)  
Shinji: Uh-Misato?  
Misato (leaning down and reaching deep inside the refrigerator): What is it, Shinji?  
Shinji: I have something for you to drink over here.  
(Misato peeks from around the corner of the fridge door.)  
Misato (skeptical tone in her voice): And that is?  
Shinji (looking around): Well, I was trying out a new recipe for breakfast. I made an American dish of French toast, eggs, and a glass of orange juice.  
(Misato is just staring at Shinji.)  
Asuka (sipping from her glass): It was really quite good, Misato...  
(Shinji stares over at Asuka in shock.)  
Asuka (putting the glass down): ...considering that baka Shinji made it.  
(Shinji sighs.)  
Misato: Juice. For breakfast.   
Shinji (looking hopeful): Please, Misato. You'll like it. I'm sure.  
Misato (sighing deeply): I'll...try it.  
  
(Ten minutes later, Shinji is clearing the table...along with three beer cans.)  
Asuka (smug): So much for that idea.  
Shinji (closing his eyes): It was worth a try.  
Asuka: So typical of you.  
(Shinji looks over at Asuka and finds her watching him closely. His eyes wander to her lips and he looks away quickly, washing a little nervously.)  
Shinji: W-What do you mean?  
Asuka: I mean, that you are so passive when you try to change something. If you really wanted to force someone to do something your way, you take aggressive action! Why should Misato drink something other than beer in the morning? You are so stupid some times.  
Shinji (feeling goaded): If you are so smart, then why don't you think of something?  
Asuka (studying her nails of her left hand): Because such things are beneath me. Besides, I could care less if Misato drinks herself into a stupor. Why is it that you care so much?  
Shinji (hearing her voice hardening, he turned toward the girl): I-It's just that she's such a...slob around here, yet she is so organized and composed at NERV headquarters. I guess I...would like her to respect our living quarters a little more.  
Asuka (staring at Shinji for a moment, then burst into laughter): "Respect our living quarters?!" What the hell do you mean?! You want Misato to start living like you? Give me a break!  
Shinji (cheeks hot, turning away from her): Whatever.   
(The doorbell rings and the two pilots look toward the door.)  
Misato (calling): Can someone get that? I'm not decent...Shinji!  
Shinji (already running for the door): I'll get it! I'll get it!  
(Asuka is laughing, holding her belly.)  
Asuka (wiping a tear from her eye): She's got you wrapped around her finger! And you want to change her?!  
Shinji (glaring over his shoulder as he opened the door): Will you shut up?  
Hikaru (brightly): Good morning, Ikari Shinji!  
(Shinji spins toward the door. He had been expecting to see Touji and Kensuke. Instead, he finds the Sixth Child standing before him, her kind smile beaming.)  
Shinji: H-Hikaru!  
Asuka (her good mood gone): WHAT?!  
(Asuka stomps to the door and pushes Shinji out of the way. There is a moment of complete silence, then-)  
Asuka and Hikaru (growling): What are you doing here?!  
(After a few seconds, the two girls glare over at Shinji who flinches. When no brilliant explanations come to mind, he does the only thing he could think of.)  
Shinji (calling): Uh-Misato!!  
------------------------------------------------  
Hikaru (jumping to her feet): What?! Shinji and Asuka are roommates?!   
(Misato is sitting at the kitchen table wrapped in a towel with water dripping down on her bare shoulders. She is more than a little annoyed that she has to be playing mediator this early in the morning [it is 8:15 am])  
Misato (sighing): It is a long story, Sohma Hikaru.  
Hikaru (setting her hands on her hips): This isn't proper, Major.  
Asuka (coming to her feet): What does that mean?! That's funny...coming from you!  
Misato (banging her beer can loudly on the table): Enough! Both of you! Asuka. Hikaru. Sit down!  
(After a tense moment, the girls sit down and Shinji looks cautiously between the two of them.)  
Misato: Hikaru, when Shinji came to Tokyo-3, he was all alone-  
Hikaru (glaring at Asuka): That's not true. Shinji's father lives in Tokyo-3!  
(There is a moment of awkward silent. Shinji bows his head slightly.)  
Shinji (softly): I couldn't...live with father.  
Hikaru: ...  
Misato: In any case, I became his guardian. When Asuka came along, well, circumstances would have it so that it would be...beneficial for them to live close to each other.  
Hikaru (shooting a skeptical glance at Asuka): I've read the report. What I'm confused about is the fact that when the danger was over, Shinji didn't get his own apartment. Why is that?  
Misato: ...  
Asuka: I don't see what business it is of yours, new girl!  
Hikaru (growling): You arrogant, simple-minded-  
Misato: Will you girls-  
(Misato is interrupted again by the doorbell. Shinji is only too eager to get to it, praying that something would stop the oncoming disaster. He opens the door.)  
Shinji (almost shouting): Hello!  
(Touji, Hikari, and Kensuke lean away.)  
Touji: Whoa, Shinji! What's going on?  
Hikari (calling): Asuka, are you ready to get going?  
Kensuke (whispering): Is Misato here? I would like to talk to her about the new EVA-  
Shinji (his eyes shooting wide): Misato! You-You-  
Misato (calling): I, what?  
Shinji (calling back): Towel, dress, clothes-  
Hikaru (looking over at Misato): I think he means that you should get into some clothes.  
(The major looks down.)  
Misato (sighing): Well, hell...  
------------------------------------------------  
Maya: ...  
(click)  
Maya (sighing): ...it never makes any sense.  
Ritsuko: What never makes any sense?  
(The younger woman jumps in surprise.)  
Maya: Oh, ma'am! I didn't know that you were there!  
(They are in an isolated room in Terminal Dogma. Before Maya is a screen that is logged in to the MAGI database.)  
Ritsuko (leaning over Maya's shoulder): Ah, the visuals on the Second Impact. You are trying to find meaning to it all?  
Maya (leaning back): I know that it is sort of a worthless gesture, but sometimes I think that we might have just missed something.  
Ritsuko (grinning slightly): There is always something that is missed in the major events of life. Hell, we miss things with even the insignificant ones.   
Maya (sighed): I know...it's just so much has happened because of this. The death of billions, NERV, the EVAs, the Children...everything is effected so much by this single event.   
Ritsuko (pulling up a seat): Yeah, one more stain on the human soul. We couldn't leave well enough alone.   
Maya (her brows drawn together): Ma'am...I thought it was all triggered by human curiosity...  
Ritsuko (thinking): As if something so horrible could be triggered by something as innocent as that.   
------------------------------------------------  
(Shinji is contemplating the meaning of friendship. Rather, he is contemplating why he has friends.)  
Touji (looking gravely disappointed): I still can't believe you. You get all the babes!  
Shinji: It's not like that!  
Kensuke: One after another falls for you. It must be the fact that you're an EVA pilot. They get all the women.  
Shinji (thinking): Sometimes more than we can deal with.  
(The three friends are sitting on the grass besides the running track. At the moment, the girls are getting timed. The guys' turn would be up soon.)  
Touji (voice stiff): So...which are you going to pick?  
Shinji (confused): Huh?  
Touji (turning a cold eye toward his friend): Which are you going to claim, Asuka or Hikaru?  
Shinji: ...?  
Kensuke: Don't tell me that you are going to keep both!  
(The two friends' eyes shot wide at the idea.)  
Shinji (drawing away from them): I-I didn't say that! I...I don't really consider either of them..."mine."  
Touji: ...  
Kensuke (sighing): We should have known...  
Touji: Yeah...  
Hikaru (calling from her place on the track): Shinji! Hey, don't look so down!   
(Shinji looks up and finds the girl waving at him. Touji and Kensuke look at each other.)  
Touji and Kensuke: Then again...  
(Shinji ignores them and starts to wave back. Just then he spots Asuka stalking toward Hikaru.)  
  
Asuka (snarling): Are you finished flirting with that idiot, Shinji, yet?  
Hikaru (turning toward Asuka): You sure have an attitude problem, Second Child.  
(Hikaru leans closer to Asuka. The action is so sudden that Asuka doesn't have time to retreat. Hikaru's violet eyes have a strange look in them as the girl stares at something...deep within.)  
Asuka (shaken): W-What-  
Hikaru (her skin suddenly a shade paler): I...don't believe it. It's incredible, considering how you treat him!  
Asuka (shouting): What are you talking about?!  
Teacher: Soryu, Asuka! Sohma, Hikaru! You two are up! Stop dragging your feet, ladies!  
(The two of them glare at each other for a moment before they went to take their places at the starting blocks.)  
Asuka (softly): I won't lose to you, Sixth Child.  
Hikaru (a grin on her face): You are too full of yourself, Second Child.  
Teacher: On your marks...  
Hikaru: Besides, I know some that even you yourself don't want to know.  
Asuka (focusing hard on the track ahead of her): What the hell are you babbling about now?  
Teacher: ...get set...  
Hikaru (softly): You are in love with Shinji Ikari, too.  
Asuka (turning her head violently toward the other girl): W-What?!  
Teacher: GO!!  
------------------------------------------------  
Gendo (hands folded before his face): What have you found?  
Ritsuko (referring to her notes): Uh...everything checks out. Preliminary tests show that the Russians have done their homework. They have taken our research on past mistakes and have improved on the EVA. I would say that Unit 04 would be able to trade blows with EVA Unit 02, perhaps even give the pilot a run for her money.  
Gendo (softly): I see. What about against Unit 01?   
Ritsuko: ...we all know about Unit 01.  
Gendo: ...this may be important. It's just like the Committee to send something that we may or may not be able to use.  
(Ritsuko doesn't want to talk about this. She has other things on her mind. Things like what Gendo had said when he had first awoken. Did he mean the words...or were they just that, words. She refused to fall for another one of Gendo's plots, but yet, her heart ached whenever she remembered the look in Gendo's eyes when he had said those words. They made her think of...other things.)  
Gendo: I want you to personally supervise Unit 04's orientation. There can be no mistakes, Dr. Akagi.  
Ritsuko (her eyes turning away): Yes, sir.  
Gendo: Then you are dismissed. I know I will not be disappointed.  
Ritsuko: ...  
(The doctor turns away and walks out of the Supreme Commander's chambers.)  
(Outside the doors.)  
Ritsuko (thinking): Words...or something else...  
------------------------------------------------  
Rei: ...  
(Silence)  
Rei: ...  
(Silence)  
Rei: ...how long are you going to do that?  
(The two girls on either side of the locker room jump and look over at Ayanami. Rei doesn't look at either of the other pilots as she stands and depresses the vacuum button on her wrist.)  
Asuka: What are you talking about, First Child?  
Hikaru (surprise on her face): She's the First Child?  
(Hikaru, her purple and red plug suit hanging around her takes a step closer to Rei, who blinks in surprise.)  
Hikaru (looking at Rei at an angle): I haven't been able to find any records on you. I was curious to see what a person with no past looks like.  
Rei: ...now you know.  
Asuka (stunned): Whoa, Wonder Girl has an attitude!  
Hikaru (confused): "Wonder Girl-"  
Asuka (waving the matter away): Yeah, Ayanami is the Commander's favorite. Always cool under fire. Always ready to throw her life away. That's Wonder Girl in a nutshell.  
Rei: ...I'm leaving now.  
(Asuka and Hikaru watch as Rei silently leaves the locker room.)  
Hikaru (looking after Rei): I think you insulted her.  
Asuka (pressing her vacuum button): Oh that's not possible. She's out there. She always does what she is ordered to. I bet she would have sex with anyone if you made it an order!  
Hikaru (slowly sealing her plug suit): Oh, I don't know. I sense that she's...searching for something.  
Asuka (rolling her eyes): Oh, great, another weird one. No one around here is ever normal! NERV is full of weirdos!  
Hikaru (her eyes sliding toward the redhead): Present company, included, huh?  
Asuka: ...!   
------------------------------------------------  
(Shinji shrugs his shoulders so that he can get comfortable. Sometimes, he still gets chafed in the form-fitting plug suit. He exits the men's locker and finds Rei walking toward the harmonics testing area.)  
Shinji (calling): Ayanami! Wait!  
(The girl stops and waits. Shinji jogs up next to Rei and looks over at her.)  
Shinji: Uh...can I walk with you to the test chamber?  
Rei: ...as you wish.  
(Rei begins walking again and Shinji falls into step beside her.)  
(FLASHBACK: Rei...dozens of Rei's. They all turned and looked at him at once, like they all possessed the same mind. Ritsuko was sobbing as she destroyed all of them. Rei III, the last of her sisters.)  
Shinji: ...how does it feel?  
Rei: ...how does what feel?  
Shinji (quietly): To be all alone. They can't bring you back again, Rei.  
Rei: ...  
Shinji (turning his head away): I'm sorry.  
Rei: Why?  
Shinji: It's your business. I don't have any right to it.  
Rei: You are wrong.  
Shinji (turning back to the girl): What?  
(The door to the Harmonics Testing Chamber is suddenly before them. It slides open, revealing four entry plugs rigged so that they can be lowered into a deep pool of LCL.)  
Rei (her back to Shinji): Shinji Ikari...a name that makes me...  
Shinji (his heart pounding): ...makes you...  
Rei (very quietly): Makes me...feel...  
(The blue-haired pilot then walks toward the plug marked with a double zero, leaving Shinji behind, staring at her back with wide, confused eyes.)  
------------------------------------------------  
Misato (leaning over Maya's shoulder): So, how are the Children today?  
Maya: They are all doing quite well. Asuka's a little low. Shinji and Rei are about the same as their last test. Hikaru, though, is reading at 78%!   
Ritsuko (arms crossed): Well, considering that she has seen no combat and believes this all a big game, that's to be expected.  
Misato (looking back at the doctor, quietly): ...Pretty harsh words for a little girl.  
Ritsuko (her face grim): When she's waist deep in it, we will test her again. Everything these Children experience, think about, believe, it all effects their performance. Don't let these numbers fool you. When she's scared, resistant, and nervous, those numbers will line up with the other Children's.   
Misato: ...is there something else that I should know?  
Ritsuko (sighing as she left the chamber): The moment I know, you will know, Major.  
(The door closes behind the doctor, cutting off the question that is sure to be coming. Concerned, Misato turns back to the monitors to study Hikaru's calm, pretty face. The door suddenly opens again.)  
Misato (without looking back): Found your answers so soon, Ritsuko?  
Natasha: No, Major, but life is just full of those unanswered questions.  
Misato (glaring over her shoulder): Oh, its...you.  
(Natasha rests a hand on her hip as she gazes around the control center. She is wearing a black, form-fitting tank top and a pair of baggy, cargo pants. Her shoulder-length hair is tied back in a ponytail. Her dark eyes are aggressive until she spots Hikaru on the monitoring screen. Misato sees an interesting mix of emotions cycle over the other woman's face. Joy, fear, possessiveness, and pain.)  
Misato (thinking): What's this?  
Natasha (finally noticing Misato's watchful gaze): How is she doing?  
Misato: Rather well, actually. She's up at 78%-  
Natasha (smug): Of course. She was trained by Mother Russia's best. She's very good at focusing-  
Misato: Focusing in a controlled environment is one thing, Lieutenant. It is completely different when there is nothing but Hell around you.  
Natasha (snorting): Humph. My Hikaru could mop the deck with your pathetic pilots. That redheaded one can't even get her ratio over 68%!  
Misato (staring coldly at the other woman): Asuka's been...having some problems... You would be wise not to underestimate her. She is one of the strongest women I know.  
Natasha (eyes equally cold): I will believe this when I see it.  
(There is a moment of silence as the crew in the control center exchange secret looks at each other. The Lieutenant suddenly looks around Misato's shoulders. Once again that strange mix of emotion flashes across Natasha's face.)  
Natasha: Is she...okay in there? There is no...danger?  
(Misato wants to laugh, but there was some sort of unusual vulnerability on the Russian's face that stops her.)  
Misato (glancing over her shoulders): No...these tests are merely to check on a pilot's synchro-ratios. Nothing more. They are not actually connected to their EVAs. This is all simulated.   
Natasha: ...this is good. How much longer?  
Misato (sighing as she looks at her watch): Another two hours-  
Natasha (shouting): Another two hours?!   
Misato (firm): Yes. Is there a problem with that?  
Natasha (gritting her teeth): No...of course not. I'm sure that Hikaru will exceed your expectations, Major.  
(With that, Natasha turns away from Katsuragi and stalks over to an empty chair. She sits down with huff and stands guard over her charge. Misato watches her from the shadows of the chamber. She can't help but wonder at Natasha's relationship with Hikaru. Natasha doesn't seem like the sort of person who waits around for anyone.)  
-----------------------------------------------   
(Circular)  
(Powerful)  
(Humming)  
(Waiting)   
(The surface of the ocean ripples...and it begins...)  
------------------------------------------------  
(Gendo Ikari limps slowly towards the entrance to the launch pad. Seele is restless. They need to be calmed, soothed, and deceived. Gendo's grip on the cane is tight.)  
Gendo: ...  
(The Supreme Commander pauses, his back to the new arrival.)  
Gendo: What do you want?  
Ritsuko: ...!   
(The doctor hadn't thought that he would have noticed her. Professional concern had urged her to follow to the Commander. Something else made her grit her teeth.)  
Ritsuko (clearing her throat): Is it wise to go to the Committee in your condition, sir?  
(Her voice seems to echo off the cold, isolated walls, making Ritsuko's voice seem...whiny in her own ears.)  
Gendo (calm, back turned): Seele demands answers. No matter how pathetic they may be, they still hold the reins. I must...assure them of their dominance.  
Ritsuko (her hands balling into fists within her lab-coat): Has occurred to you that you might not come back this time?  
Gendo: ...  
Ritsuko (sarcastically): ...I see where Rei gets her sense of self-preservation! How can you do this?!  
(The woman turns her eyes away, unable to look at the Commander's back any longer.)  
Ritsuko (hoarsely): You make me...believe...make me want... It was another scam, wasn't it? I am so much like my mother, I can't even look myself in the mirror anymore!  
Gendo (quietly): Don't kill yourself while I am gone, Ritsuko.   
(Ritsuko turns wide, tearful eyes back towards him, but he is stepping out the door, closing it very softly behind him.)  
Ritsuko: ...  
------------------------------------------------  
(Misato moaning)  
Misato (dreamily): Oh...Kaji...  
Kaji: Sensitive as ever, I see, Katsuragi. What about here...?  
Misato (giggling): You know I'm always sensitive there!  
(Misato looks up into her lover's eyes and finds herself alone. Not quite understanding what is going on, she turns toward the sound of footsteps. Naked, Misato stands up and sees a man's back facing her.)  
Misato: Kaji?  
Voice: How many times have I told you not to interrupt me while I'm working, Misato?  
Misato (wrapping her arms protectively over her breasts with a gasp): Father?!  
(Her father's face is vague as he looks over his shoulder.)  
Misato's Father: ...I see that you have moved up in the world.  
Misato (backing away, her face burning): F-Father...don't look at me...  
Father: So much of your mother in you. I always left wondering who would be keeping her warm at night.  
Misato (her eyes furious): You were the one who decided to go away! How dare you make mother suffer!  
Kaji: Does that make what she did right? What you did right?  
Misato (turning her face away): I'm not my mother! I'm my own woman!  
Kaji: So you didn't cry when I was gone.  
Misato (her eyes snapping wide): When you...you were gone-  
(Gunshot, liquid, thick and red dripping on cold cement. Eyes that would never blink again.)  
Misato (grabbing her head): No! I don't want to see this!  
Father: Running away from the truth? You could have protected him.  
Misato (tears trickling down her cheeks): I...I had my duties...  
Kaji (his face tired, but gentle): Will duty allow you to lose another?   
Misato (lifting her head from her hands): A-Another?  
(Footsteps. Misato turns toward the sound and she sees a slender form walking toward the darkness. It is a boy in a blue and black plug suit. There is something else just beyond him.)  
Misato (reaching weakly): S-Shinji?   
(The boy pauses and turns toward Misato.)  
Shinji (smiling sadly): Goodbye, Misato.  
Misato (eyes widening): Shinji?  
(A massive purple form appears behind the boy. Its eyes are cruel and its hands are dripping in blood.)  
Shinji: I have my duties. I am an EVA pilot. If I don't pilot...many people will die.  
(Unit 01 is sneering its Berserker grin. Misato is suddenly filled with fear so profound that she takes a step toward the EVA's blackest shadow.)  
Misato (screaming): Shinji! Don't go near that thing!  
Shinji (turning toward the EVA): I don't have a choice. No matter what you have said, I was born to pilot EVA...  
Misato (hysterical): SHINJI!!  
(Unit 01's hand reaches out and wraps around the boy. There is a sickening crunch and blood flows from between the EVA's stained fingers...)  
------------------------------------------------  
(Misato comes awake with a sob. The apartment is quiet, but her heart is pounding in her ears. The major wraps her arms around her legs and pulls her knees to her chest.)  
Misato: Oh...God...a dream...just a...dream...  
(After a few moments, the major wipes her eyes with the back of her hand and gets to her feet. The digital clock on one of her shelves reads 2:03 am. She opens her door quietly and walks softly towards the kitchen. Something makes her stop at Shinji's door. Her heart pounds as she gently reaches out and opens the door.)  
Misato: ...  
(Shinji is on his side, his back facing her. She listens carefully and she is strangely calmed by the gentle sound of his sleeping breath. After about a moment, she closes the door again and makes her way to the kitchen. Once there, she opens the refrigerator and grabs a beer.)  
Misato (thinking): Something to take the edge off...  
(A flash of orange within the fridge catches her attention. Misato turns back toward the cooling unit and stares at the glass bottle of orange juice sitting there.)  
Misato (laughing a little weakly): Juice...for breakfast. He's so weird sometimes...  
(The major gazes at the bottle for a long moment, then puts the beer back. She then picks up the bottle carefully and carries it back to the kitchen table. There was a soft click and she looks over at Pen-Pen who is peeking out at her from his fridge, blurry-eyed.)  
Misato (setting the bottle on the table and getting a glass): It's not what you think.  
(Pen-Pen cocks his head to the side.)  
Misato (pouring herself a glass and taking a sip, sighing): This is for a midnight snack, not breakfast.   
(Pen-Pen blinks, not believing a word of it.)  
Misato (bracing her cheek on her palm as she swirled the thick, orange liquid around in her glass): I'm set in my ways. I'm a grown woman. A 14 year-old boy can't change me after so many years.  
(Pen-Pen shakes his head sadly as he closes his fridge again.)  
Misato (gazing deeply into her glass): Yeah...you're right. ...I'm a terrible liar.  
------------------------------------------------  
Seele: You have lied to us, Ikari. You have hidden the facts, even though you knew what the consequences for such an action were!  
Gendo: ...I have done nothing wrong. Everything is proceeding according to the scenarios depicted in the Dead Sea Scrolls.  
Seele: We know all about the little side chapters you have written into the scenarios, Ikari. This was not a part of the plan. First your...companion runs wild and destroys the heart of the Human Instrumentality Project, then the MAGI show signs of continued inhuman influence, and now you are telling us that the most recent attack on NERV never happened! Do you take us for fools, Ikari?!  
(Gendo has his hands folded before his face. The light from Seele's icons are reflected in the tinted lenses of his glasses.)  
Gendo (calmly): I am merely stating that you have been misinformed. The Human Instrumentality Project is proceeding despite the loss of the Core Samples. The setback is minimal.  
Seele: Yet, you let said companion to run free. We have been generous enough to leave the matter in your hands. We expected to you to give a...token of good will in return.  
Gendo: Without said companion, we would lose valuable time.  
Seele: So...this is your only reason for hesitation?  
Gendo: ...Correct.  
Seele: What about the charge of covering up an Angel attack, Ikari? Surely you can't deny that Terminal Dogma was invaded-  
(If Gendo Ikari is shaken by the sudden change of subjects, he doesn't show it.)  
Gendo: We had a...geological problem.  
Seele (scoff): "Geological Problem?!"  
Gendo (his glasses glowing): Yes. A strange phenomenon that has claimed the lives of fifteen aboard a geological ship in the Pacific Ocean and moved west into Japan. We were most fortunate that the damage was minor. The crew on the ship, however, met a most unfortunate end.   
(Silence)  
Gendo: The damage to Terminal Dogma has already been repaired and measures against such...damage ever occurring again have been taken.  
(Silence, then-)  
Seele: Very well, Ikari. You have bought yourself time. However, should you fail...you will not be the only one made to suffer.  
Seele: We are watching you very carefully, never forget that!  
(The icons vanish in an instant and Commander Ikari was alone. After a moment, Gendo's eyes lift over the rims of his glasses.)  
Gendo: And in that is your mistake...  
------------------------------------------------  
(Shigeru leans back in his chair, eyes closed, playing his air-guitar. In his mind, he can hear the ringing, soaring tones of his music. There, in his mind, he can hear the roar of an audience and the pulse of a really good drummer. Suddenly, someone's beeper is going off.)  
Shigeru (a little annoyed): What the hell is that?  
(Suddenly, he comes back to himself.)  
Shigeru: Huh? What?  
(He reaches out to his command console and calls up the Threat Board, which is about as big as a single story building and floats several hundred meters in front of the towers of the Command Center.)  
Shigeru (his eyes wide): What the hell?  
------------------------------------------------  
Misato (smoothing her black skirt down her thighs as she hurries into the Command Center.)  
Misato (barking): Report!  
Tech: I-well, I don't know what I am looking at, ma'am!  
Misato (turning her eyes forward): Call up the MAGI projections up on the Threat Board.  
Tech: Aye, ma'am!  
(A second later a map of the coastline several kilometers away appears. Misato is shaken.)  
Misato: W-What is that?  
Shigeru: Unknown. We still don't have confirmation that it is an Angel!  
Natasha: You don't see things like that everyday. Good morning, Major.  
Misato (looking over her shoulder at the other woman): This isn't a time for bravo, Lieutenant. This is serious.  
Natasha (looking vaguely at the Threat Board): Really...? Hmmm, it looks like someone spilled a spot of paint on your map of Japan.  
Misato (crossing her arms): Well, that...spot of paint is about 9 kilometers wide and it is coming here!  
(When Natasha continues to just stare at her, Misato shakes her head.)  
Misato (sighing): Never mind...  
(Just then, Maya and Hyuga came running in, taking their seats besides Shigeru.)  
Maya: What did we miss?  
Shigeru: Just the best concert of my life...  
Maya: ...?  
Shigeru (shaking his head): Forget it, inside joke.  
Maya: Huh-  
Misato: Maya, can you tell me when we can expect our visitor?  
Maya (turning toward her console): Uh-at present speed, I would say it will be about three hours before the object's outer rim hits the city.  
Misato (rubbing her lip): I see. Have the EVA pilots been notified?  
Natasha (arms crossed): I brought Hikaru with me. She is suiting up as we speak.  
Misato (nodding): Good...thinking, Lieutenant. Hyuga, what are the other Children's ETA?  
Hyuga (turning his head toward the major): In five minutes, plus suit-up time.  
(Misato makes a fist and grins wolfishly.)  
Misato: Excellent. Maybe this time we can keep the battle outside city-limits. Maya, get the OSPE* prepared! Shigeru, call the transport hangers and get all four B-969s ready to be launched the moment the EVAs are loaded! Hyuga, I want EVAs 00, 01, 02, and 04 ready to be moved out within the hour!  
*[On-Site Power Equipment]  
Maya, Shigeru, Hyuga: Yes, ma'am!  
(Misato crosses her arms and looks on coldly. Only she and Natasha saw that her hands are tightly balled into fists.)  
------------------------------------------------  
(Shinji sits in the transport car gliding swiftly toward NERV Central. The message from Hyuga had been short and tense.)  
Shinji (thinking): Another Angel attack. Once again...we are all going to be in danger.   
(The boy looks over at his two companions in the car. Asuka looks grumpy...she hadn't been particularly happy to find him in her room, shaking her awake. In fact, she had screamed several stinging German curses when she recognized him. He wasn't sure but he thought he heard the words "pervert" and "idiot" several times. After he had finally been able to stop Asuka from hitting him, they had made their way for NERV. Rei had met them on the way.)  
Shinji (thinking): Asuka...Rei...Will this be the last time that I see them? How many times can we keep repelling these attacks. Each time it seems like the Angels get smarter. If Asuka hadn't been there for the last one...  
(The boy looks over at Asuka. She has her chin braced on her palm and she is glaring out at the Geo-Front far below.   
She must have sensed his gaze on her because she suddenly closes her eyes.)  
Asuka: What do you want, dummkopf?   
(Shinji flinches and looks down at his folded hands.)  
Shinji: Well, uh, I want to say...good luck.  
Asuka (looking over at him): What sort of nonsense is this? Luck has nothing to do with anything.  
(When Shinji just stares at her, Asuka flexes her free arm.)  
Asuka: I'm going to relay on my skills as an EVA pilot!   
Shinji (bowing his head): Skills. Yeah, I guess you will be all right then.  
Asuka (her eyes suddenly wide): Huh?  
Shinji: You are so natural at all this, Asuka. I've always admired that about you.  
Asuka (shaken): Uh...well, yeah...  
Shinji: I, on the other hand, will probably do more damage to myself than the Angel. Every victory I have ever gotten has been due to sheer luck.  
Asuka (huffing): That's a stupid thing to say! As an EVA pilot, you can raise over everyone else! You can do what no one else can do! That's skill, not luck!   
Shinji: ...  
Rei: ...you worry...  
Asuka (snorting): Wimp!  
Rei: ...about others...  
Asuka: ...  
Rei: Why?  
Shinji: Because I don't...want any of you hurt.  
Rei: Why?  
Shinji: Because...  
Rei: ...?  
Shinji: ...because...  
Asuka: ...  
Shinji (smiling sadly): ...because you all are important to me...  
Asuka (eyes wide): What?  
Rei: ...  
Shinji (looking towards the Geo-Front): I...once thought that I piloted EVA for my father. I wanted him to praise me, tell me that I was worthy...of him...  
Asuka (rolling her eyes): Yeah, yeah, I heard it all bef-  
Shinji (quietly): But I realize that isn't true anymore. Maybe it never was true. I don't think of my father when I get into Unit 01.  
(Asuka feels her heart begin to beat slow and hard. She doesn't want to hear this, but she can't make Shinji stop. Rei just watches Shinji with eyes that are almost...gentle.)  
Shinji: Every time I go up, every time I force myself to face one more of these monsters called Angels...I see...your face, Asuka...  
Asuka (cheeks pink): M-Mine?!  
Shinji (his eyes turning): And yours Rei...  
Rei: ...  
Shinji (closing his eyes now): I see Misato, Touji, Kensuke, Hikari, Maya, Shigeru, Hyuga, and many more that I have just seen on the street or inside NERV. That is the reason I do it. That is the reason I am willing to get inside...EVA again...praying that it is for the last time.  
(Rei gazes at Shinji, her eyes reflecting the light outside the window. Asuka turns away sharply and stares furiously outside.)   
Asuka (thinking): Why?! Why do you have to...be so...  
Asuka (softly): You jerk...  
------------------------------------------------  
(The B-969s are four massive silhouettes against the morning sky. Their powerful engines shake the surface and small, human crews rush around them in a desperate effort to get the mighty air-ships ready for take-off. Equally powerful, loader trucks roll the four EVAs toward their transports. Long beams trail behind the "Flying Wing" B-969s, outstretched and ready to receive their precious cargo.)  
(Within the EVAs, the Children wait as Misato goes over what little information they have.)   
Misato: It is big...almost like the Twelfth...  
(Shinji flinches inside his entry plug.)  
Hikaru: You mean an entity that may have a visually small or narrow body, but with an incredible amount of mass?  
Misato (slowly): The Angels have a talent for making the impossible possible. But don't think that this Angel is a copy of another. Thus far, we have not been able to pick out a decisive characteristic of the Angels...other than their Blood Type. It is for this reason that we are going to take this slow. Shinji, Asuka, this means no heroics, no bravo. You will follow my orders to the letter, understood?  
Shinji: Y-Yes, ma'am.  
Asuka (folding her arms behind her head): Yeah, yeah, I know the drill, Misato.  
Misato: Hikaru, this is going to be your first official sortie. I want you to stay back and provide support.  
Hikaru (leaning toward Misato's image): What?! B-But Major-  
Misato (stern): No buts, young lady! This is a very delicate situation and, no offense but, you don't have any combat experience...yet.  
Asuka (her face flashing up beside Misato's): Yeah, so you stay back and watch some real EVA piloting...Rookie!  
Hikaru (scowling): Don't patronize me, Second Child. I know all about your success record!  
Asuka (her face going red): What does that mean?!  
Misato (shouting): ENOUGH!! Asuka! Hikaru! This is the exact thing that is going to get you two killed! Now, put your egos on the back burner until this is over, understood?   
(Shinji is silent inside his entry plug. The restraint clamps of the B-969's cargo tracks shake the inverted EVA as they lock down. An Angel...like the Twelfth...an Angel that almost devoured him alive...)  
Rei: ...Pilot Ikari...  
Shinji (blinking): Ayanami?  
Rei: ...you remember...  
(Shinji doesn't ask how the First Child knows. She seems to know a lot without a word ever being said.)  
Shinji (softly): ...yes  
Rei: Shinji...  
Shinji (eyes wide): Yes...Rei?  
Rei: ...don't forget yourself again.  
(Her image vanishes, leaving Shinji with a bewildered look on his face.)  
Shinji: W-Was that her way of saying... be careful?  
------------------------------------------------  
(The B-969s lift into the sky like a flight of armor-plated birds of prey. Their mighty engines roar like caged beasts as they head toward the Disturbance to the west.)  
Misato (sighing, trying to get back in control): Now, we are going to keep this simple, okay? Shinji, Asuka, you two are going to take point. This does not mean that you go charging on head...Asuka, I'm looking at you.  
Asuka (arms crossed and looked away from Misato's image): I got it the first time, Misato!  
Misato: Rei, you will be on lifeguard duty.  
Rei: ...?  
Asuka (still fuming): She means that you will be watching out for us, Wonder Girl! Geez!  
Hikaru: Major, what are my duties?  
Misato (firm): You will be taking up position about a kilometer from the estimated point of contact. You are going to be providing cover fire with NERV's Positron Rifle, if it is needed, from the nearby foothills.  
Hikaru (groaning): You have to be kidding-  
Misato (grim): I never joke on a mission, Pilot Sohma. You would be wise to remember that.  
Hikaru (sighing): Yes, ma'am.  
Shinji: Major-Misato...  
Misato (softening): Yes, Shinji?  
Shinji: What are we going to do if it turns out to be an Angel?  
Misato: ...as we always do.  
Shinji (bowing his head slightly): ...I see.  
Asuka: What's this?! Are you such a weakling that you want to get out of a fight before it even starts?!  
Shinji: ...I will do what I have to. That is what I have always done.  
(His eyes growing hard.)  
Shinji: What I will continue to do...until...  
Asuka: ...  
Hikaru (softly): ...Shinji...  
------------------------------------------------  
(The land looks like any other piece of land on the planet. It has grass, it has trees, it rolls, it twists, it has been worn by the passage of time. But here, here is something else...something with a purpose.)  
(In the distance, the white-curtails of the B-969s make lines across the sky. The ground seems to ripple like water and suddenly, It knows.)  
------------------------------------------------  
(VTOL craft surround the Disturbance, insuring that no unauthorized personnel would bear witness to the event that is about to take place. Aboard one of the VTOL crafts, Major Katsuragi gazes down at the land that the Disturbance currently "possessed.")  
Misato (thinking): One more...just one more...  
Misato (aloud): Commence the operation!  
(Far overhead, the EVAs are released from their transports. They drop swiftly, but with a grace that gives Misato the chills. Something about the animation in the mecha always reminds the Major that they never did really know what they are dealing with...on either side of the battle.)  
------------------------------------------------  
(The EVAs come down with pin-point accuracy in their respective locations. Units 01 and 02 land a mere half a kilometer away from the Disturbance. Unit 00 lands near the OSPEs which sit embedded in the ground like giant, antique batteries from the 20th century. Human crews were already powering up the units and their cooling systems. The powerful servomotors howled, shattering the superficial calm of the area. Unit 04 lands in the foothills with a skid and crouches down, ready to receive its umbilical power connection. Hikaru turns her Unit's cameras toward Unit 01's position.)  
Hikaru (thinking): Shinji...there was so much pain in your eyes. What have you seen?  
------------------------------------------------  
(Shinji rests inside his entry plug, eyes closed, almost relaxed...except for the flexing hand at his side. The white noise of the crews around him is blocked out. He focuses on one thing...his mission...)  
FLASHBACK: Asuka: Are you such a weakling that you want to get out of a fight before it even starts?!  
Shinji (thinking): ...no...I can't run away anymore. Bad things happen when I run away. But horrible things happen when I stay. I am always trapped, always twisted and turned by the will of others.  
(Silence)  
Shinji: But...now...I have something to fight for. Something worth the pain...  
(Asuka)  
(Rei)  
(Misato)  
(Touji)  
(Kensuke)  
(Hikaru)  
(Gentle laughter...)  
Shinji (blinking): Huh?  
(A flash of an image. Outstretched hands. Two forms...no, three. One small. Tiny hands...laughter...)  
Shinji: What the hell-?!  
------------------------------------------------  
Hyuga (turning from his laptop on the Major's VTOL craft): Activity!  
Misato (pressing her face against the viewing port): Not now! We aren't ready!  
(The ground before Units 01 and 02 is rippling violently now, like a puddle in an earthquake. Suddenly, there was a flash of light that narrows into a giant ring. Units 01 and 02 shield their faces. The ring is blinding as it separates itself from the earth and rotates upward so that it is perfectly perpendicular to the surface. The vast space in the center of the ring quivered, then becomes glassy and reflective. The two EVAs find themselves staring at their images in the Disturbance's surface.)  
Asuka: What the hell is going on?!  
Misato: Be very careful, Asuka! We don't know what we are dealing with here.  
Shinji (confused): It looks...like a giant mirror-  
Asuka: Thank you for stating the obvious, Third Child!  
(Unit 02 stands up from its crouched position and picks up the assault rifle at its side. The EVA aims it at the thing before it.)  
Asuka (staring at the Unit 02 opposite of her): This is strange.  
------------------------------------------------  
Gendo: ...so it has appeared.  
(Beside the Commander, Fuyutsuki stares out at the passing clouds outside the aircraft.)  
Fuyutsuki (slowly): Yes...earlier than expected. I thought you were going to let Rei handle this...like before.  
Gendo: ...she will no longer be able to do that without rising suspicion in the ranks. Unit 01 will have to handle it.  
Fuyutsuki (closing his eyes): ...He might not have what it takes, Ikari. Is IT worth so much?  
Gendo (looking away from the professor): There is no choice now. If we do not act, It will be forever lost to us.  
Fuyutsuki: Along with your chances of controlling the Committee.   
Gendo: ...yes.  
Fuyutsuki (looking back towards the Commander): ...and if he fails.  
Gendo: ...then you may get the thing you have been wishing for all these years, professor.  
Fuyutsuki: ...?  
Gendo (his eyes hidden behind his tinted lenses): But he will not fail us...he is my son, after all. Besides...she is on his side.  
Fuyutsuki (quietly): I just hope it doesn't come to that.  
Gendo: ...   
------------------------------------------------  
(The burning light of the Disturbance fades away, revealing a thing that indeed looks like a mirror. Only thing is that the parts of the mirror are disconnected, floating in perfect formation. On the right and left side of the "mirror," masks like that seen on the Third Angel appeared. The simple, white disks had a black circle on one side of the mask and a slit on the other. It waits.)  
Shinji: Misato...  
Misato: I'm thinking, Shinji.  
Asuka: So we are just going to sit here?!  
Hikaru (her face appearing in Asuka's plug): Running head long into certain death comes easily to you, huh, Second Child?  
Asuka: Shut up.  
(Shinji is silent inside his EVA. Only the hum of the Evangelion's internal systems can be heard.)  
Shinji (thinking): It is almost like it is playing with us...  
(The surface of the Disturbance is stirring very slowly, like a brew in a pot. He can almost feel the incredible strength behind the entity.)  
Hikaru (softly): Shinji?  
Shinji (startled): H-Hikaru!  
(The girl's face appears beside the boy's.)  
Hikaru: ...are you okay?  
Shinji: Sure, why won't I be?  
Hikaru: ...Shinji...I have a feeling-  
Asuka (her face popping up besides Sohma's): What are you doing?! You flirt! We are in the middle of an operation and all you can think about is putting the moves on Shinji!  
Hikaru: Back off, Soryu!  
Asuka: Why don't you make me?!  
Misato (rubbing her forehead): Why can't those girls ever shut up?  
Hyuga (shaking his head): They are children, major.  
Misato: Yeah, I know, but you would think they would take-  
Hyuga (suddenly leaning forward): Major! Activity-Oh my God-Angel Status confirmed! AT Field generating!  
Misato: Shinji! Asuka! On your toes!  
(Below)  
Asuka (blinking): What-  
Shinji (shouting): What's going on?!  
Rei (gasping): Shinji! Soryu! Get back!  
(The main body of the Angel is changing now. Where it had been silver and perfect, it was now warping and changing color. There was a low growl that seemed to hum through the hills as silver turns to crimson. At the very center of the Angel, a vortex has appeared, spinning and drawing mass in towards itself.)  
Misato: Units 01 and 02 retreat!  
Asuka (growling): I'm trying, but I'm having problems just holding my position!  
Misato: Hikaru!  
Hikaru (activating her targeting goggles): Already on it!  
(Unit 04 braced itself and lined up its Positron Rifle with the Angel's center and fires. The beam from the rifle zips over the EVAs' heads and strikes the Angel's middle...and deflects. The ground around Unit 02's feet is vaporized by the redirected beam.)  
Asuka (screaming): Damn it! You idiot!!  
(The EVA loses its footing and begins sliding toward the Angel. Suddenly, its progress stops. Looking up, Asuka finds Unit 01 on its hands and knees with one hand wrapped around Unit 02's wrist.)  
Asuka (whispering): Shinji?  
Shinji (trembling as he tried to hold both EVAs stationary): ARRGGHH!! My arm is being ripped apart!  
Asuka (tears forming in her eyes): Shinji...let go...  
Shinji (closing his eyes against the agony): No.  
Asuka: Please...  
Misato (screaming): Rei!  
Rei: ...ten seconds...  
(Suddenly, Unit 01's Progressive Knife popped out of the EVA's shoulder harness. Digging the toes of the EVA's feet into the ground, Shinji braced Unit 01 while he reaches for the Blade. The two EVAs begin to be dragged toward the Angel, even with Unit 01's feet planted. And then,)  
Shinji (softly): Be well, Asuka.  
Asuka (her eyes growing wide): ...Shinji?  
(Unit 01 slams the Progressive Knife deep into the ground, forming a handhold. In the same motion, Shinji wraps Unit 02's hand around the hilt of the blade. With that done...he lets go.)  
Asuka (wailing): SHINJI!!  
(Unit 02 reaches for the other EVA, but misses. Unit 01 fumbles toward the Angel, which is now glowing bright red with power. Shinji trembles inside his entry plug as he stares at the massive vortex rushing up to meet him. The EVA lifts an arm to protect its face when Unit 01's AT Field came in contact with the Angel. There is a flash of power and Shinji's scream seems to echo in Asuka Langley Soryu's ears. She shivers uncontrollably in her pilot's seat as the armor on Unit 01's arm begins to strain and crack.)  
Asuka (reaching up and covering her ears): Please, no...not him! Anyone but him!!  
--------------------------------------------  
Voice: ...Shinji...  
Shinji (eyes tightly shut, holding his deteriorating arm): arrghh!  
Voice: Shinji...  
Shinji (whispering hoarsely): ...please...  
Voice: ...Shinji...look...  
Shinji (slowly opening his eyes): ...  
(The entry plug is cracking like glass around him. LCL is leaking and his whole body is on fire. It is the very thing he had feared...)  
Voice: Why...Why did you do that?  
Shinji: ...?  
Voice: Protect that girl...you didn't have to face this...  
Shinji (his head bowing): I couldn't let...let Asuka go through with this...  
(Crack!!)  
Shinji (smiling sadly): I knew...I knew that it might end like this...but...  
Voice: But?  
Shinji: I...I wanted more time...with them...  
Voice: Why?  
Shinji: ...  
Voice: This is what happens when you live on. This is the end result of wanting to live. Is it worth it?  
Shinji (very quietly): ...yes.  
(It is then that Unit 01 passes through the surface of the Angel.)  
------------------------------------------------  
(Print-outs are spread out around her. Print-outs that show her life's work. Ritsuko Akagi was in her darkened office, alone.)  
  
Ritsuko (quietly): So much...yet so little.  
(Silence)  
Ritsuko (laughing softly): What else is new...Mother...Gendo...Kaji...everyone always leaves me behind.  
(FLASHBACK: Gendo with his back to her): Don't kill yourself while I'm gone, Ritsuko.)  
(Ritsuko put her head in her hands. She should have talked to...someone. Misato. She is gone on the mission now. Gendo. He is gone too, perhaps forever, and she is sure He won't care. Surely he doesn't mean anything personal by his remark...or rather, it would be damned inconvenient for her to die at this stage in the Project.)  
Ritsuko (touching the beauty mark under her left eye): ...Kaji was so right...  
(FLASHBACK: Young, dark-haired Ritsuko calling for her mother.)  
Ritsuko (calling): Mother? Where are you?  
(Silence)  
Ritsuko (coming out on the highest of the command towers): Mother...? Please, you have been working so hard. It's time to come home!  
(It is then that she sees it. A tiny form laying on the floor of the control tower, face turned away. Ritsuko's heart beats hard in her chest as she slowly walks toward the still girl with blue hair.)  
Ritsuko (her hands lifting her to mouth in horror): Oh my God...  
(Rei, what she now knows is Rei I, lays on the chilled, metal floor with a strange, calm smile on her face... She looks so much like a broken doll left behind by a frustrated child. Ritsuko's eyes grow larger as she sees the livid, red marks on the little girl's neck. Ritsuko's breath is quick and frantic as she slowly moves around the body. There is something. She doesn't want to see, but it is like she isn't in control of her own body anymore.)  
Ritsuko: ...  
(Over the lip of the control tower, Ritsuko looks down. Blood. Hands outstretched, reaching for...something. Eyes staring. Cement cracked. Mother.)  
(Present)  
Ritsuko (hands folded, trembling): There is no picture of you now...Mother. Just the MAGI remain...your final legacy. Your own daughter has become nothing more than a...keeper for your great achievement!  
(The tears are finally coming, but they are mixed with the self-hatred of the most bitter kind.)  
Ritsuko (whispering): I...fell into the same trap...as you...Mom.   
(An image flashes in her mind. Gendo, eyes watching her...NEEDING her.)  
Ritsuko: Maybe...I wanted what you had... Maybe...I wanted to TAKE something from you!  
(The woman bows her head and runs rough fingers through her dyed hair. Without looking up, Ritsuko reaches for the syringe next to her hand on her desk...)  
------------------------------------------------  
(Massive hands move swiftly, surely, making an anchor system that would have to support Unit 00 and 01.)  
Rei (thinking): He can't die.  
He is the key.  
Key to myself.  
I feel with him.  
I can smile with him.  
I am...  
I am...  
I am more than I am with him.  
(Unit 00 knots the heavy-duty support cables about the massive OSPE cylinders with a snap. Rei spins the EVA towards the Angel and takes off towards it, activating her AT Field as she zips by the immobile Unit 02.)  
----------------------------------------------  
Hyuga (shouting): 5 seconds until Unit 00 comes in contact with the Angel!  
Misato (trembling): Asuka, prepare to pull Unit 00 back if Rei gets in trouble.  
(Silence)  
Misato (shouting into the mic): Asuka!  
Asuka: ...can't...  
Misato: What?!  
Asuka: He's...gone...  
Misato (her eyes a little wild): Rei might-  
Asuka (screaming): THERE ISN'T A DAMN THING THAT FUCKING DOLL CAN DO!!   
(Silence)  
Asuka (quiet): I...never...I-  
Hikaru (panting): I'm on-site, Major!  
(Misato turns towards the view-port and sees that Unit 04 is now at the OSPEs, grabbing the cables.)  
Misato: I thought I told you to stay back.  
Hikaru: I-I have to be here. If Shinji's gone...  
Misato (closing her eyes): Very well...  
------------------------------------------------  
(He is alone. He can still hear the cracking and crunching of the entry plug, but that seems very far away now.)  
Voice: You threw your life away. You are no better than Rei.  
Shinji: I threw my life away so that Asuka could live!  
Voice: So you are noble.  
Shinji: I didn't say that.  
Voice: Then how do you explain it?  
Shinji (wrapping his arms around himself): Some are better suited to life...I am not one of those.  
Voice: Why do you say that?  
Shinji: ...Because I don't like pain.  
Voice: Yet, you go through pain for ones like that girl. You contradict yourself.  
Shinji: Some pain is worse than others.  
Voice: ...Why did you kill yourself?  
Shinji: ...  
Voice: Why?  
Shinji: ...  
Voice: WHY?  
Shinji (grabbing his head): Because it would have been too painful to live without Her!  
Voice: ...I see. So this is your way of escaping a pain greater than death.  
Shinji: ...yes.  
Asuka: Well, that's just dumb!   
Shinji: ...!  
(The girl glares at him, she is wearing her red plug suit.)  
Asuka: So you are still running away! I knew you were a coward, but I had no idea just how much of one you are!  
Shinji: Asuka...  
Gendo: You are pathetic. When you can't handle situations, you run away. You are not my son.  
Shinji (growling): You are the one that abandoned ME, father! Were you afraid of me?!  
Misato: Everyone feels fear in their life. Everyone feels pain in their life. It is for us as human beings to deal with it and move on.  
Shinji: But-But it hurts so much, Misato.  
Rei: Pain is a path to understanding. Pain allows us to see faults and learn that which could not otherwise be recognized.  
Shinji: Rei...  
Hikaru: You fear pain...do you fear life? Are you afraid of smiling, laughing, and loving?  
Shinji: That's different.  
Hikaru (setting her hands on her hips): How is that different, Ikari Shinji? You say that you fear life, but you only think about the bad things. Have you learned nothing?  
Shinji: I'm sorry-  
Asuka: Stop saying that! Do you think that we don't know how sorry you are by now?! What good is that if you are dead?!  
Shinji: ...  
Misato: It is up to you to decide on your path. We cannot make that choice for you.  
Shinji (bowing his head): ...life hurts...  
Rei: Always?  
Shinji: ...I don't like pain...  
Asuka: You can't block it out?  
Shinji: ...but...for others...I can...live...  
Hikaru: Then what are you doing here?  
-----  
(The world flashes around him and suddenly, Shinji is aware of the entry plug around him. LCL is escaping through huge, black cracks in the plug. Armor and flesh are whining and twisting within the Angel. Shinji grits his teeth and forces himself to look outside.)  
Shinji: ...?  
(The EVA is surrounded by walls of spinning, red light, all circling toward an S-2 organ in the distance.)  
Shinji (shivering): I...don't want...to die...  
(The S-2 organ burns like a small sun, mocking him. Shinji reaches Unit 01's hand for it, but the EVA's arm is far too short and is being crushed even as he watches it. Nothing. He can do nothing.)  
Shinji (tears in his eyes): Why...why can't I do-  
(Suddenly, he sees something...something that he had thought was lost.)  
Shinji: ...?!  
------------------------------------------------  
(Unit 00's arm is thrust into the surface of the Angel. Rei's face is a mask of pain, but she reaches...reaches... Suddenly, she feels something.)  
Rei: ...!  
(The EVA shifts and Rei is sure. It is a foot.)  
Rei (unusually loud voice): Pull me back!  
(Unit 04 braces each foot on the hulls of the OSPEs and begins pulling on the rescue cable. The EVA's muscles strain and threaten the shatter the armor containing it. Slowly, but steady, Unit 00 begin to pull back from the violent surface of the Angel.)  
Hikaru (her eyes glistening): It's not...his time...yet! I saw...I saw...  
(Unit 00's hand suddenly emerges from the boiling Angel and...)  
Rei: ...  
Asuka: ...!! Oh...God...  
(Unit 01's body is smoking and twisted from its time within the Angel's vortex. It is limp against the force of Unit 00 pulling it one way and the Angel pulling it the other.)  
(Overhead)  
Misato (squinting): W-What is Unit 01...holding?  
Hyuga: ...?  
Misato (her eyes snapping wide): What the hell?! This is impossible!!  
(Below)  
Rei: (staring at the object in Unit 01's hand): ...!  
(Evangelion Unit 01 is just barely clear of the Angel when it slowly lifts its head. It gazes at the thing that had tried to destroy it and suddenly, slams a hand down, burying its fingers into the earth and stopping its backward progress.)  
(Unit 01 moves its other hand so that the long, double-pronged object is held before its face. It seems to be grinning...)  
Misato: ...can it be?  
(The Angel's surface becomes more violent and its vortex glows with the mass it is dragging into it. The EVA abruptly draws the giant spear back and the mysterious, destructive tool reshapes itself into a longer, single-shafted one. The EVA violently throws the spear...)  
(The Lance strikes the Angel dead-center and it shutters.)  
(Everything pauses.)  
(Then...)  
(The Angel stretches its borders well pass its limit, like it is ripping itself apart to get away from something at its center. Suddenly, blood explodes from the other side of the Angel. The pillar of thick liquid reaches back for about a kilometer, bubbling and spraying.)  
Asuka (horror written all over her face): Mein Gott...  
(The Angel's borders twist and there is a strange, horrible screeching sound, then, it expanded violently-)  
Misato (shouting): IT'S GOING TO SELF-DESTRUCT!!  
(The small VTOL vehicles around the area flee as fast as their engines could carry them. As the Angel descends toward the earth, its body begins to glow again. The EVAs are silent and still as the creature explodes with enough force to rip up the ground and warp the nearby foothills...)  
-----------------------------------------------   
(As the flight from Seele touches down, Fuyutsuki gets off the phone.)  
Fuyutsuki (slowly, quietly): It is done. The Lance is back in our hands.  
Gendo: ...Excellent. I trust that Major Katsuragi is handling this in a discreet fashion?  
Fuyutsuki (crossing his arms and leaning back): The major may be impulsive at times, but she is a military woman...a good one at that.  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki: ...it was as you said. Unit 01, despite the damage done to it, managed to destroy the Angel with a single blow.  
Gendo: Such is the power of the Lance of Longinsis...  
Fuyutsuki: ...  
Gendo: ...what is it?  
Fuyutsuki: ...it will be some time before Unit 01 will be fully operational again.  
Gendo (eyes hidden): ...I see. And the pilot?  
Fuyutsuki (quietly): They are...cutting him out now.  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki: ...he is alive though.  
Gendo: ...as expected.  
(Suddenly a phone built into the arm-rest between the Commander and the Vice-commander rings. Fuyutsuki picks it up.)  
Fuyutsuki (into the phone): What is it?  
(Silence)  
Fuyutsuki: What?!  
(Gendo glances over at Fuyutsuki. He just needs to see the look on the Vice Commanders face to understand.)  
Fuyutsuki (quietly): S-She-  
(Gendo's face shows such rage that the Vice Commander draws back slightly.)  
Gendo (as he strides swiftly toward the hatch-door.): I will handle this.  
Fuyutsuki (phone still in hand): ...so that's how it is.  
-----------------------------------------------   
To Be Continued...  
Author's Notes:  
I know, I leave you kind of hanging with this one, but that's just how it came out. Ritsuko has always seemed to me like the sort of woman who puts up a strong front, but that is only to cover an internal conflict. You will have to wait until Chapter 4 of SBTA to know what I do with this...sorry.  
I'm not really sure how people will react to Hikaru. I'm sure that Asuka fans will want to burn me at the stake, but trust me...everything in this series happens for a reason... Maybe you all will understand someday.  
I'm not sure if I will be able to explain everything that happens in SBTA, but then, it was the mystery that made EVA such a masterpiece! It might be annoying at times, but if you are able to figure out some of the secrets of this mini-series on your own, you'll be better for it. Remember...I'm just along for the ride. Some times, things that happen in the story surprised me as much as you when I wrote it!  
That's all for now. Chapter 4 is on the horizon, so watch for it! A few teasers...hmmm: a past remembered, a battle of the sexes, and Rei's hidden talent...  
As always, any C&C is invaluable to me! Even the most simple comment can go a long way. You all can contact me at omnidragon@trigun.com.  



	4. The Road Home

------------------------------  
The Characters and concept of Neon Genesis Evangelion are property of Gainax. I created this "scenario" in the spirit of the TV series. I made it in the hope that it would open up people's minds and give something to a series that really touched me. This little series that I have created is a piece of fan fiction thought up by yours truly, so if you are going to copy or distribute this work, please give credit where it is due, k? Now enjoy!  
------------------------------  
Evangelion: Step beyond the Abyss  
  
Chapter Four: The Road Home/ Things not to Forget  
By: N. T. Martin  
  
(Birds...birds that are chirping.)  
(Do you hear bird when you are dead? Being one of the most brilliant scientific minds in the world, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi has always had a problem with the naive comforts of religion.)   
Ritsuko (squinting at the bright sunlight that was in her face): ...where?  
(She listens carefully and recognizes the senseless chatter of a radio somewhere.)  
Radio: When I found out that I was losing my hair, I thought that my life was over. That's when I turned to-  
Ritsuko (covering her eyes with her arm): Oh God.  
Misato: I see you are awake.  
(The doctor starts and looks over at the major. The major has flowers, but her face is a little cool.)  
Misato (quietly): How are you feeling?  
Ritsuko: ...as well as can be expected under the circumstances.  
(Misato looks down at the flowers in her hand.)  
Misato (not looking at her friend): You know...I buy enough of these that I should buy my own flower shop.  
Ritsuko (arching at dark brow): Maybe you should think about getting something else for those you visit.  
Misato: ...you know that we have enough people sent here without anyone doing...things to themselves.  
Ritsuko (folding her hands on her stomach, staring up at the ceiling): If you have come here to lecture me, Major, then please step outside and close the door behind you. I'm not in the mood.  
Misato (angry): Are you proud of yourself, Ritsuko? I thought I told you that I was there for you...   
Ritsuko: ...  
Misato (walking to her friend's bedside): You realize that I come here often enough for the Children. I don't want to be coming here for my friends as well.  
Ritsuko: ...I'm sorry to inconvenience you.   
Misato: ...  
Ritsuko: You were gone, Major.   
Misato (gritting her teeth): I was kind of busy-  
Ritsuko (still not looking at Misato): I take it, since we are all still here, that we won.  
Misato (looking away): ... I guess you can say that.   
(The major laughs a little, although there is no humor in her voice.)  
Misato: I just came from seeing Shinji.  
Ritsuko: ...is he okay?  
Misato (slowly): He will be. Considering the shape of Unit 01, he's lucky to be alive.  
Ritsuko (closing her eyes): What did you do, Misato?  
Misato (blinking): Why do you assume it's my fault?  
Ritsuko: Because it usually is. Just how bad is the damage?  
Misato (quiet for a moment, then): Much of the armor was sheared off. You will have to see the video footage to understand.  
Ritsuko: ...  
Misato (setting the flowers on the night-stand): He's...learning, Ritsuko. If he can learn to live, then so can you.  
Ritsuko: ...  
Misato (crossing her arms): You are going to have a chance to relax before throwing yourself back into it all, though.  
(This gets the doctor's attention.)  
Ritsuko: W-What are you talking about?  
Misato (grinning for the first time since she has entered the room): I was able to get down time for some of us. I'm taking the Children and friends up to a special, little spot outside the city-  
Ritsuko (scoffing): There's no way in hell that the Commander would authorize-  
Misato: I already got his permission. When I asked about taking you, all he said was, "Yes." No explanation, no begging on my part, simply "yes!" He must be getting old.  
Ritsuko (looking away from her friend): ...I see.  
Misato (leaning down): Please come, Ritsuko. It has been so long since you have been out for yourself...  
Ritsuko (sighing): Yes...  
-----------------------------------------------------  
(Within a containment chamber deep within NERV, Fuyutsuki walks toward the middle of the catwalk, right in front of Evangelion Unit 1.)   
Fuyutsuki (hands behind his back as he gazed up at Unit 01): Incredible.  
(The EVA is almost completely stripped of armor, revealing the human-created demon underneath. The unblinking stare of the creature before him gave him the creeps.)  
Gendo (from behind): Afraid, professor? After all this time, one would think that you would be used to it.  
Fuyutsuki (not turning to face Ikari): I question anyone who gets used to this sight. Sometimes...I feel like it is watching me...  
Gendo (coming up besides the professor on the catwalk, they are eye-level with the naked EVA): This was necessary-  
Fuyutsuki: As was the trauma inflicted on the boy?  
Gendo (leaning forward with his elbows resting on the rail): He survived, did he not?  
Fuyutsuki: You expect too much-  
Gendo: I expect what is to be expected in this Age.   
Fuyutsuki: Ikari...they are children!  
Gendo (calmly): ...I am well aware of that, professor.  
Fuyutsuki (quietly): Then...  
Gendo: It is a matter of which evil we defend ourselves against. Would you rather the Children be in Their hands?  
Fuyutsuki: ...  
(The Supreme Commander turns away and begins walking toward the exit hatch of the containment chamber.)  
Fuyutsuki (calling softly): How is...she, Ikari?  
Gendo (stopping without turning around): ...she is alive.  
Fuyutsuki: And...?  
Gendo: ...I will give her this afternoon to get a hold of herself. If she cannot manage that, I will take Seele up on their offer.  
Fuyutsuki (listening to the hatch door close behind the Commander): Bastard...  
--------------------------------------------------  
(The morning finds Natasha Karpov sprawled sideways on her futon.)  
Natasha (growling): Damned Japanese tradition...  
(The Russian woman sits up and pushed a lock of blond hair out of her face. She becomes completely still when she hears something. It takes her a moment to realize that it is the slashing sound of Hikaru's practice sword slicing through the air in the next room.)  
Natasha (thinking): I wonder if she's made another inedible breakfast.   
(An image flashes in the Lieutenant's mind: eggs, toast, and a large portion of sausage. A man's loving smile.)  
Natasha (lifting her right hand before her face, she looked down at the small, gold ring on the ring finger): ...  
(The slashing sound continues as Natasha gets to her feet and scratches the back of her head.)  
Natasha (thinking): It's a little early for Hikaru to be going through her forms.  
(The Lieutenant slides open her door and pads toward the main room in nothing but her tank-top and underwear. With just her and the girl, the Lieutenant's dubious sense of modesty has suffered greatly.)  
Natasha (coming into the main room, momentarily blinded by the light burning through the windows): Hikaru...yawn...have you made a Russian breakfast like I had asked you to?  
(The girl's back is to her. Hikaru is dressed in a traditional Karate uniform with a white tunic and black flowing leggings. She does not respond, continuing her forms.)  
Natasha (lifting a golden brow): I thought I told you that I couldn't stand anymore of that traditional crap you keep making! I need real food!  
(Silence)  
Natasha (confused and a little annoyed): What is this? The silent treatment? What the hell did I do?  
(Silence)  
(Frowning, Natasha walks toward the girl. She notices the sweat that trickles down the girl's neck, revealing that Hikaru has been practicing for some time now. As she comes up besides Hikaru, Natasha sees the tears.)  
Natasha: ...I see.  
-----------------------------------------------  
(Hikari stands in the kitchen of the Katsuragi apartment humming to herself. Touji is leaning against the refrigerator, watching her prepare enough food that it could feed the entire class at their school.)  
Touji (hesitantly): I-Isn't that a little much, Hikari?  
Hikari (not looking up): It's better to have too much than to have too little, Touji.   
Touji (crossing his arms): I don't know why you were drafted to make all the food. It's the Major's party-  
Hikari (her hands moving with practiced ease over the salad bowl she had been working on): I don't mind, really.  
Touji (gazing with a little wonder in his eyes): You really don't...  
(Asuka sits at the kitchen table watching the two of them. She feels quite frankly sick at the sight of the dumb-jock Touji hitting on innocent Hikari. Asuka bites savagely into the sandwich she is eating.)  
Asuka (thinking): Hikari is such an innocent. Touji probably just wants one thing. Boys are all the same.  
(FLASHBACK: Shinji: Be well, Asuka.)  
(The redheaded pilot's fingers tremble slightly, but she forces back the strange emotion that threatens to overwhelm her. Instead she glares over at the two.)  
Asuka (snapping): If you are so worried about her, why don't you give her a hand, you idiot?  
(Both of them jump and Asuka realizes that they had forgotten about her. That does nothing to calm her already burning temper.)  
Touji (glaring over at Asuka): I don't see you helping! All you have been doing is sit there and sneak sandwiches out of the cooler!   
(The boy suddenly flashes a cruel grin.)  
Touji (smirking): If you aren't careful, you are going to get fat! Then what would you have? All you do is play off your looks!  
Asuka (shooting to her feet): What did you say?! Come here and say that to my face, you jerk!  
Hikari (trying to calm the two down): Please, don't fight-  
Touji (throwing out his chest): I just might, your majesty! All high and mighty all the time!  
Asuka: With you around, feeling superior is quite easy!  
Touji (snarling): You bitch!  
(Just before the two would have come to blows, Hikari gets in between them.)  
Hikari (shouting): Please! Stop!  
(There is a stunned silence and Touji looks away from Asuka to see the hurt look in Hikari's eyes. The boy feels his anger drain out of him.)  
Touji (blinking): Hikari...I-I'm sorry.  
Hikari (breathing heavily): Please, will you two try to keep your egos out of this today? The party is supposed to be a celebration of life...not the lack of it. Please?  
(Silence, then)  
Touji (setting his hands gently on Hikari's shoulders): Sure...I'll try.  
Hikari (beaming up at him): Really? That's all I ask.  
(Asuka growls and storms out of the kitchen, leaving the two lovebirds to themselves. She almost knocks Kensuke over as he carries Misato's stereo system toward door. She doesn't even hear the boy curse at her back. She stomps into the TV room and sits down besides Pen-Pen with a huff.)  
Asuka (muttering): Stupid Touji...stupid Hikari...  
(The bird looks over at her.)  
Asuka: He's just a dumb jock... He's just going to hurt her.  
(Pen-Pen looks back at the TV.)  
Asuka (softly): I'm not all high and mighty all the time...am I?  
(Pen-Pen sighs and changes the channel.)  
-------------------------------------------------------  
(Shinji opens his eyes and looks around. Misato had just been there...or had he slept? He isn't sure. Misato had said something about a party...but he is feeling so sore.)  
Rei: ...Pilot Ikari...  
(Shinji finds that he has never known anyone who could constantly sneak up on him before he had met Ayanami. He is not sure that is a good thing.)  
Shinji (looking over at the chair next to his bed): Ayanami...you're here?  
Rei (her hands folded in her lap): Major Katsuragi didn't want you to be alone.  
Shinji (looking away): I see...you're here on orders.  
Rei: ...no. I am here because...I want to be here.  
Shinji (felt his mouth drop): Rei...? Why?  
Rei: ...I don't know.  
Shinji (blinking): You don't know?  
Rei: ...yes. It just seemed...important that I be here.  
Shinji: ...Rei...  
(They sit for a moment in silence.)  
Rei: ...Pilot Ikari-  
Shinji: Rei, you have called me by my first name before... We are friends, so you can do so now.  
(Shinji doesn't see the light shade of pink that flushes Rei's cheeks.)  
Rei: S-Shinji...will you be going to the event?  
Shinji (drawing a blank): The...event?  
Rei: ...yes. The "party" Misato told me to come to.  
Shinji: Oh, that...well, I don't know-  
Rei: You should go.  
Shinji (confused): What?  
Rei (looking at her hands): They...they need to be reassured that you are okay.  
Shinji: Oh...  
Rei: You are important to them.  
Shinji: Because I can pilot EVA-  
Rei: No...because you are you.  
Shinji: Rei...  
(Rei looks at the watch Misato had given her. The girl doesn't wear the watch...rather she keeps it in her pocket. While Ayanami is excellent at keeping timetables on a mission...she has a problem with getting anywhere else on time.)  
(FLASHBACK: Misato (handing the watch to Rei): Now remember, we will come to pick you all up at 13:00 hours. Remember that Rei. I'm counting on you. ...by the by, is that the only thing you have to wear?)  
(Present)  
Rei (standing up): It is time to leave.  
Shinji (looking under the sheets, blushing): Uh...Rei?  
Rei: Yes, Pi...Shinji?  
Shinji: Could I have some privacy? I need to change.  
Rei (back turned, but cheeks flushed): ...yes.  
---------------------------------------------------  
(The blue sports car is packed to the limit. With Misato's stereo system loaded into the trunk and four children loaded into the cabin with her, it is a tight fit. Asuka had been determined to be in the front, saying that she didn't want any accidents in back. Kensuke and Touji had just glared at her. When Hikari had started to get into the back, Asuka once again exploded, saying that it wasn't proper to have a girl squeezed in the back seat with two "oversexed" boys. To stop the argument that was sure to rise, Hikari had quickly agreed and squeezed into the front passenger seat.)  
Touji: This is ridiculous...  
Asuka (glaring over the back of the seat): I don't remember asking for your opinion, you pervert!  
Touji (growling): As if any man on this planet would want to talk to you, much less touch you!  
Asuka (snarling): What?!  
Misato: Guys, calm down. We are almost to the hospital. Try to be nice to each other for Shinji's sake. He's been through enough.  
Asuka (suddenly quiet): ...  
Touji (leaning back, folding his arms): Yes, ma'am.  
(The car pulls up to the entrance to the hospital. Rei and Shinji are waiting outside, Shinji is tucking in his button-down shirt.)  
Misato (her eyes concerned behind her shades, thinking): God, I hope this isn't too much for him. It's just that who knows when Commander Ikari is going to give us another chance like this!  
(Misato stops the car with a scream of tires and stepped outside, her leather sandals slapping lightly against the cement.)  
Misato (cheerfully): Hi again! Ready to party?  
Rei (quietly): ...I suppose.  
Shinji (sighing): ...yeah.  
(Misato grits her teeth slightly at their lack of enthusiasm, then forces a bright smile back on her beautiful face.)  
Misato: Well, come on, then! Sorry, but we are all going to have to go in my car.  
(Shinji peeks around the major and sees all his friends...and Asuka...crammed into the car.)  
Shinji (brows lifted): Uh...Misato?  
Misato (already guiding the First and Third Children back to the car): Yeah?  
Shinji: I-Isn't it a little...crowded?  
Misato (laughing): Of course not! We're all friends here!  
Shinji (as Misato pushed him in beside Kensuke): I guess-ouch!  
Misato: You're next, Rei-  
(The girl quietly gets into the back seat next to Shinji and is pressed against him when the door closes.)  
Rei: It's...tight.   
Shinji (blushing): Yeah...  
(Asuka is glaring back at him and Shinji ducks his head.)  
Shinji (thinking): What did I do now?!  
--------------------------------------------  
(Outside Hikaru's and Natasha's apartment building, the woman and girl are preparing to set out on the Lieutenant's powerful, red and black motorcycle. The woman is entirely in leather which is about as form-fitting as a plug suit. The girl is in pale shorts with a red tank top. The girl's head is bowed.)  
Hikaru (quietly): I don't see why I have to go.  
Natasha (pushing the motorcycle helmet onto the girl's head): Because I'm not going to have you moping around the apartment all day. This is ridiculous!  
Hikaru: You weren't there, Ms Natasha... It was horrible...  
(Natasha's eyes cut to the girl behind her wrap-around shades. Hikaru isn't watching her guardian, but is staring at the bright sky, in a world of her own.)  
Natasha: Humph. I will never understand children. In any case, that Ikari boy is going to be there.  
Hikaru (her eyes snapping wide behind the visor): Oh! He shouldn't be moving around yet!  
Natasha (shrugging): Well, her high and mightiness, the Major, decided that the boy needed to be up and about.   
Hikaru: I-Is he okay?  
Natasha (straddling the sleek, super-charged motorcycle she had shipped from Russia): I guess. I don't know what you see in that child! He is so...weak!  
Hikaru (quiet): Not weak.  
Natasha: ...?  
Hikaru (getting onto the bike behind Natasha): He fears pain...but he isn't weak.  
Natasha (shrugging again as she revved the superbike): If you say so.   
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
(Within the inner chambers of Commander Ikari.)  
Gendo: ...  
(He is staring at a framed photograph in his hand. It was taken a very long time ago. It seems like another lifetime to the Supreme Commander now. His hand comes up and reaches towards the picture.)  
(Suddenly, the doors of his chamber slides open and Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki walks in. Gendo looks up at the older man and slowly puts the picture away within a secure drawer of the desk.)  
Fuyutsuki: ...Is there a reason you have decided to give all key personnel a 24 hour leave?  
Gendo (folding his hands on the desk): Because they needed it.  
Fuyutsuki (confused): Since when did you give a damn about people's limits?  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki (sighing): I'm sure you have your reasons. What if an Angel attacks while they are all out?  
Gendo: Then we will fall back on the Dummy system.   
Fuyutsuki (confused): Was this so important that you would be willing to put our lives in the hands of such a...creation?  
Gendo: ...yes.  
(Fuyutsuki stares at the man he thought he knew. He can't help but wonder what had happened to the Commander in the depths of Terminal Dogma.)  
---------------------------------------------------------  
Shinji (gripping the seat for all he was worth): Um...Misato? Is it really necessary to be going this fast?!  
(The blue sports car is screeching around the curve of the twisting road.)  
Misato (grinning wolfishly): Oh, come on! When do I ever get to drive like this in the city?  
Shinji (nervously as the car rides on two wheels): Do you have to ask?!  
Rei (quietly): Major Katsuragi...Shinji is still recovering. Please reduce your speed.  
(Touji, Kensuke, Shinji, Hikari, and Asuka all turn and stare in shock at Rei who gazes calmly at the back of Misato's head.)  
Touji (awed): Whoa...  
Kensuke (pinching himself): Not a dream!  
Shinji (looking toward the blue-haired girl): Rei...  
Asuka (turning violently towards the window): Humph!  
Misato (blinking): Uh...yeah, sure, Rei.   
(The car slows down and eases into the next turn smoothly.)  
Touji (whispering to Kensuke): Did you see that?! Ayanami stood up for Shinji! What's going on there?  
Kensuke (whispering back behind a cupped hand): I don't know...but Asuka doesn't seem to be taking it well! I wonder...  
(Asuka isn't paying attention to the two of the "three stooges" behind her. Nor is she noticing the concerned look she is getting from Hikari. Rather, her attention is focused inward.)  
Asuka (thinking): Why is it that Wonder Girl is always there for him?! Why is it that I feel that I am missing something here?!   
(Asuka glares over her shoulder at Shinji who is still gazing at Rei with a dazed look. The girl has braced her elbow on the armrest next to her and is gazing out the window while supporting her chin on her palm.)  
-------------------------------------------------------------  
(The countryside is beautiful, hilly, and is partially covered by small forests. Clouds float overhead like small islands, while butterflies dance over wild-flower patches.)  
Misato: It's an ideal spot for a casual party. There's a small lake for swimming, an open field for sports, and Hyuga said he would bring his portable cooker, so we are all set!  
Shinji (peeking over Misato's seat): Hyuga? The computer guy from the Command Center?  
Misato (nodding): The same. I figured that we all needed some rest. We were lucky.  
Shinji (blankly): Lucky?  
Misato (softly): ...the commander was generous.  
Shinji: ...  
(Misato pulls the car off the dirt road and on to the grass. A small campsite appears before the vehicle. Shigeru and Hyuga are pulling a table out of a beat up 4X4 and Maya is supervising the effort. From the looks on the guys' faces, they are none too happy about her duty.)   
Misato (surprised and a little annoyed): Oh!  
(Asuka squints, then bares her teeth.)  
Asuka and Misato: What is she doing here?!  
(The females in question were Natasha and Hikaru. Natasha is unzipping her leathers next to her motorcycle, revealing a black tube top that showed off her firm, smooth stomach. She is also wearing a pair of shredded denim shorts that showed off her thighs. Hikaru is sitting under the tree that stands at the top of the hillside. Her legs are folded and she is gazing out at the lake. The lake is like blue fire due to the bright sky. The wind is gently playing the with girl's black hair.)  
Misato (thinking): ...how did she...?  
Asuka (thinking): Don't give me that innocent look, you bitch! I know what sort of flirt you are underneath!  
(Both Natasha and Hikaru seem to sense the presence of Misato and Asuka. Natasha sees the blue sports car and flashes a small, cocky grin. Hikaru sees Asuka in the passenger seat and her face becomes grim. The others suddenly notice Misato and the kids.)   
Maya (waving): Hello! Hey, this is a great spot, Major!  
Misato (casting a wary glance over at Natasha before replying): Yeah, it's been a while since I have been up here. It's good that you all made it.  
Shigeru (panting after he put the table down): No problem, Major. It feels good to have a day off like this!  
(While the adults chat, Hikaru stands up and walks slowly toward Shinji.)  
Hikaru (quietly): H...How are you feeling, Shinji?  
Shinji (trying for a bright smile): Better, thank you. I heard about what you did when I...during the mission! Thank you-  
Asuka (coming up beside Shinji): Yeah, if it weren't for the rookie, she won't have had to do anything!  
Hikaru (her eyes flashing): After what I did? Need I remind you that we were out of options?!  
Asuka (scoffing): "Out of options," she says! So you vaporize the ground from under my feet!  
Hikaru (flushing): I-I didn't mean to! There was no way-  
(Touji and Kensuke roll their eyes at each other as the two girls exchange verbal blows. Hikari stands beside Asuka and Hikaru, wringing her hands, concerned as she looks back and forth between the two. Rei watches it all from the hood of Misato's sports car, where she has sat down. No one noticed Shinji Ikari sneaking away from it all.)  
Misato (looking around): Hey, where's Ritsuko?  
---------------------------  
(Shinji sighs as he leans against a tree some distance from the camp. His body is throbbing, but the pain-killers have done a fairly good job of blocking most of it. The boy's eyes are closed so it is a surprise when he hears another voice speak.)  
Ritsuko (quietly amused): Running away, Shinji Ikari?  
Shinji (voice high with surprise): D-Doctor Akagi!  
(The blond doctor is standing a mere few feet away from him. Her eyes looked tired, but she is alive. She is wearing a simple, blue blouse with a pair of trim, black pants. Her hair is in its usual, casual style. Her hands are tucked into her pockets and she is watching him with a faint sparkle in her eye.)  
Shinji (shaking himself mentally): I-I didn't know that you were here.  
Ritsuko (walking slowly toward him): It wasn't by choice, I assure you.  
Shinji: ...?  
Ritsuko (looking around his shoulder at the people on the hillside some distance from them): Blame your guardian. The woman is a complete pain in the ass.  
(Shinji just stares blankly at the doctor. She notices this and sighs.)  
Ritsuko (leaning against the tree next to Shinji): Shinji, did you ever hear of the expression "a deer caught in headlights?"  
Shinji (blushing): I'm sorry.  
Ritsuko: Hmmm.  
(There is a loud shout and the doctor looks back up the hill, while Shinji bows his head with a sigh.)  
Ritsuko (dark brows raised): Ah, so that's the reason. Asuka and the new girl are fighting...again.  
Shinji: Yeah.  
Ritsuko (her eyes growing serious): So they do share something...  
Shinji (looking over at Ritsuko): Huh?  
Ritsuko (shrugging it off as she looked up into the tree-tops overhead): Nothing. Just talking to myself.   
Shinji (obviously uncomfortable with the doctor): Oh...well, I guess you want to be alone-  
Ritsuko (softly): I didn't say that.  
(Shinji gazes at Ritsuko with wide eyes.)  
Shinji: Huh?  
Ritsuko (pushing herself away from the tree): Are you up to a walk, Ikari Shinji?  
Shinji (looking into Ritsuko's gently smiling face): S-Sure.  
------------------------------------------------------------  
Natasha: Lost your charge, eh?   
(Misato is sitting on the picnic table, silently gazing out at the lake. Her eyes grow hard as she looks up into the Russian woman's laughing eyes.)  
Misato: Shinji's his own person. He-He can do whatever he pleases!  
Natasha (sitting on the table next to the major): Oh, really? Then, why are you brooding?  
Misato (gritting her teeth): Who said that I was brooding?!  
Natasha (leaning back on her elbows, gazing up at the sky): You're eyes. They are sad.  
Misato: ...  
Natasha (her eyes cutting toward the Major): ...or is it this place?  
(Misato jumps and looks toward Natasha.)  
Misato: W-What are you implying?!  
Natasha (lazily): A pretty place like this...it is ideal for a...romantic intrude.   
(The tell-tale color spreads across Misato's cheeks before she turns violently away from Natasha.)  
Misato (angrily): What would you know?  
(Natasha is enjoying herself too much to listen to the anger in the Major's voice. The woman is so easily annoyed.)  
Natasha: I'm thinking...blanket on the hill, picnic lunch, skinny-dipping in the lake...  
(The Lieutenant looks over her shoulder casually.)  
Natasha: ...carving your initials with that special someone inside a heart in the tree.  
(Misato looks over her shoulder and simply can't believe that it is actually visible. A heart is carved into the trunk of the tree. It is obviously an old mark because the wood inside the carved lines have become dark gray. The initials "M.K. + K.R." lay revealed for all to see.)  
Misato (quietly): ...how did you know?  
Natasha (reaching into the cooler at the edge of the table and popping open a cool beer): I'm good at what I do, Major, no matter what you may think of me. You would be wise to remember that. How long has it been?  
Misato (closing her eyes): Years. I-I, well, I guess I blocked it out. I just remembered this place. I remembered how beautiful it was in the summer. I didn't think about that.  
Natasha: Sometimes, we forget about the most important things. But we have to remember sometime...or we loose a part of ourselves.  
Misato (sipping slowly from her own can of beer): ...you speak from personal experience?  
Natasha (her fingers touching the ring on her right hand): ...it was a long time ago...but I still cherish every moment.  
(Her eyes are on Hikaru who is standing just out of Asuka's range. Touji and Kensuke are having real problems holding the redhead back.)  
Asuka (distantly): Coward?! I will show you who's the coward, you bitch!  
Hikaru (turning away): Yeah, yeah...  
(Misato looks from Natasha to Hikaru. She suddenly realizes that while the Lieutenant seems to have been totally briefed on her, she doesn't know Lieutenant Natasha Karpov as well as she should.)  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
(The path is obviously a nature trail. It was made by nature's hands and has rarely seen human feet. Shinji and Ritsuko walk slowly down the path, each in no great hurry. Shinji glances nervously over at the doctor. While she doesn't incite the cool fear that his father always has, this woman is mysterious to him. Never one to talk about herself, Ritsuko always seemed to be cold and composed. She doesn't seem so distant...now.)  
Shinji (looking around): Nice weather...we are having...  
Ritsuko (laughing lightly): I guess. I personally am more comfortable in the controlled environments of NERV Central.  
Shinji: Why?  
Ritsuko (blinking): I...don't know. I suppose it is because nature is so unpredictable...so uncontrollable.  
Shinji (feeling suddenly cold): Like...EVA.  
Ritsuko (her shoulders tensing): ...yes.  
Shinji (peeking around at Ritsuko's face): Y-You spend so much time with the EVAs. Do you...well, understand them?  
Ritsuko (staring straight ahead): Understand them?  
Shinji (nodding): Yeah...I don't know. When I am inside Unit 01 it feels like...I'm on the edge. Below there is an abyss of chaos, waiting to swallow me whole.   
Ritsuko: ...  
Shinji: B-But then, I also feel...comforted there...inside EVA. I-I don't want to pilot it, yet, I always find myself coming back to it.  
Ritsuko: It is your lot in life.  
Shinji: It's not much of a life.  
Ritsuko (looking over her shoulder): I won't say that.  
Shinji: Huh?  
Ritsuko (looking forward again and stepping over an exposed root): What did you have before NERV, Shinji?  
(Shinji blinks and the memories rise like a demon within him.   
LONELINESS   
FEAR  
PAIN  
TEARS  
MOTHER  
FATHER  
GONE...)  
Shinji (sighing): Not much...but I wasn't in the hospital so much.  
(They come to a clearing and they find themselves staring out on the lake.)  
Ritsuko (smiling slightly): Beautiful. I see now why they came here so often.  
Shinji (turning toward the woman): You lost me again.  
Ritsuko (grinning): Yeah...before your time.  
Shinji: ...?  
Ritsuko (laughing): Sorry...still thinking about the past. I should really stop doing that.  
Shinji: No one around here talks about themselves. I feel that Misato...well, sometimes I feel that her bright attitude is all a facade. Asuka never talks about herself...but I think it's because she hates me-  
Ritsuko (shaking her head, chuckling): Oh Shinji...  
Shinji (blinking): What?  
Ritsuko (sitting gingerly down on the grass): Nothing, go on.  
Shinji (casting a strange glance at Ritsuko): And...Rei...we know about Rei...but still-  
Ritsuko: ...  
(Shinji sits down next to Ritsuko to give his throbbing joints a rest.)  
Shinji: Rei...surprises me-  
Ritsuko: Really, in what way?  
Shinji (slowly): It's hard to explain... Every time I think that there is nothing there but some...shell, created by my father, she says...stuff...  
  
Ritsuko (looking over at him): "Stuff?"  
Shinji (shifting uncomfortably): Well, not really what she says...it's more how she says it. She's still as cryptic as ever...but I feel sometimes there is...more there...  
Ritsuko: ...  
Shinji: ...and my father...I don't know.  
Ritsuko (sighed and lays back on the hill): Shinji...you're father and I...are...lovers...  
(The boy's eyes snap wide.)  
Shinji (shouting): WHAT?!  
---------------------------------------------------------  
Seele: It happened too soon.  
Seele: We did not foresee this.  
Seele: Our sources have failed us.  
Seele: What of the Illusion?  
Seele: It vanished the moment the boy retrieved the Lance.  
Seele: What of our scenarios? This was not written in the Dead Sea Scrolls!  
Seele: Calm yourselves, gentlemen. This is not a time to let it all fall apart. The reappearance of the Lance simply means that we will have to step up our schedule.   
Seele: It is only a matter of time before she remembers. Such continuous contact with the Vessel will ensure that.   
Seele: Can the woman be trusted? She has become close to her charge. She has let personal matters mix with business.  
Seele: If she forgets her place, we will remind her.  
--------------------------------------------------------   
Hikari (holding out a can of soda): Here. Feeling better?  
Asuka (taking the can while she continued to glare at Hikaru down toward the beach): I'm fine. You didn't have to play referee, Hikari.  
Hikari (sitting on the grass beside Asuka): It comes naturally. I'm always playing the mediator in class, I guess it is a part of who I am.  
Asuka: ...  
(Asuka is watching the dark-haired EVA pilot pull a deck of cards out of her shorts' pocket and show it to Touji and Kensuke. The two boys seem more interested in gazing at the girl than at the cards.)  
Asuka: Hey.  
  
  
Hikari (looking over the rim of her own soda can): What?  
Asuka: I thought that you and that dumb jock...Touji, were a couple. Aren't you a little...jealous right now? He's got that perverted look in his eyes that baka, Shinji, always has!  
Hikari (holding the can gently between her hands): I'm not worried.  
Asuka (looking over at Hikari, skeptical): No?  
Hikari: ...no. I know that Touji...would never do something like that.  
Asuka (scoffing): He told you that, huh?  
Hikari (blushing): ...yes.  
Asuka (with a snort): Yeah, right. That's what the guys alway say to get into a girl's pants! It's just like him to use such an outdated trick!  
Hikari: B-But it's not a trick!  
Asuka: ...really?  
Hikari: Y-Yeah. He...cares.  
Asuka (laying back on the grass, staring up at the sky): Whatever.  
Hikari: ...he saved my life.  
Asuka: ...!   
(Hikari's eyes seem to grow distant, as if they were looking at something from some other time.)  
Hikari: M-My apartment building collapsed during those earthquakes we had a few weeks ago. It had been weakened from the constant Angel attacks, I guess. I was told afterwards that if I had stayed in that building fifteen more minutes, I would have been dead.   
(Asuka lays there, staring in shock up at the sky. She wonders what else Hikari was keeping from her. She had always thought that Hikari was her best friend...her only friend.)  
Asuka (taking a long gulp from her soda): So...what does that have to do with Touji?   
Hikari (setting the can of soda on the ground in front of her): I-It was his idea to go to the shelter. I owe him my life...  
Asuka: Don't start playing the "grateful damsel" for that pervert, Hikari! You will only be hurt!  
Hikari: ...  
Asuka (snorting in disgust): You are so weak.  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
Ritsuko (quietly): It started years ago...when my mother...passed away. I was stuck between hating her and grieving for her loss. I was thinking "how could she leave me like this?! How could she just die like that?!"  
(Shinji is silent. This sounds a lot like the Ritsuko he had seen in the depths of Terminal Dogma...when she had killed Rei's sisters. While he wants to run away, he feels that if he did that...something horrible would happen.)  
Ritsuko (her head bowed): I spent weeks after that wandering NERV Central, trying to find some solace...some grounding. I never returned to college. It didn't matter anymore. Maybe I was doing it all for my mother...to get her attention. To make her praise me.  
Shinji (thinking): Just like I used to...with father...  
Ritsuko (pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them): It was during this time that I found my way to the EVA containment area. Unit 01 had been put into stasis after...the incident... The LCL had seemed so...inviting... I realized then that it was only right that I...join mother. I had nothing else to give. It was then that it happened.  
Shinji: What?  
[FLASHBACK: (Young, dark-haired Ritsuko stares up at the passionless eyes of Evangelion Unit 01...the scars were still there.)  
Voice (coldly): What are you doing here?  
Ritsuko (jerking, having not been aware of anyone else in the chamber): Who's there?!  
(Ritsuko turns and sees the dark shape of Gendo Ikari on the catwalk twenty meters from her, gazing up at the EVA. Ritsuko hastily wipes the tears she hadn't known she had been shedding.)  
Ritsuko (stuttering): M-Mr. Ikari-  
Gendo (not looking at her): Why are you here?  
(Ritsuko looks back to the LCL pool that seems to call to her.)  
Ritsuko: ...I...want it to stop...  
Gendo: ...you seek your death.  
Ritsuko: ...yes.  
Gendo: Are you that weak?  
Ritsuko (tearing a slow, trembling hand through her hair): Yes!  
Gendo: Then, I will not stop you.  
Ritsuko (closing her eyes as she moved towards the pool): Thank you.  
Gendo: One thing, first.  
Ritsuko: What?  
Gendo: Will this impress your mother?  
(Ritsuko's gasp echoes off the cold walls of the containment chamber. The young woman shivers uncontrollably and collapses to her knees.)  
Ritsuko (sobbing softly): Please...  
Gendo: ...  
Ritsuko (desperately): ...help me...  
Gendo (still gazing up at Unit 01): I cannot do that. It is up to you to stand on your own. No one can make you wish to live.  
Ritsuko: ...you are so cruel!!  
Gendo (quietly): ...I know.  
(Ritsuko sobbing.)  
(After long minutes pass, Gendo lifts a hand, pushes his glasses up on his nose, and turns toward Ritsuko. His footsteps on the metal tread are very loud in the chamber. He stops just before Ritsuko and stares down at the top of her bowed head.)  
Gendo: ...If you come with me you may never be able to stand on your own. You will belong, but your soul will never be your own again. Do you understand?  
(Sobbing)  
Gendo (sighing): Come with me.   
(He reaches down and tips her chin up with his fingers. Ritsuko gazes up at Gendo and gasps when she sees his eyes within his glasses.)  
Gendo (softly): Perhaps...we both need to forget for a while.  
Ritsuko: ...yes.  
(Present)  
Ritsuko (softly, face turned away from Shinji): ...It has been a long time since I remembered that.  
Shinji (bowing his head): That sounds just like my father...  
Ritsuko (closing her eyes): He saved my life, but for his own purposes. I'm...just like my mother. I fell for him so easily...  
Shinji: I'm sorry.   
Ritsuko (laughing at herself): It was my own fault.   
Shinji (quietly): My father was wrong.  
Ritsuko (blinking): Huh?  
Shinji: You are your own person, Ritsuko. Sometimes, you might think that you are alive only because my father wished it...but it was you who chose life over death.  
(The woman and boy sit there for a long moment in silence. The wind stirs the trees and birds are chirping idly somewhere.)  
Ritsuko (choked): You-You don't know what I have done!  
Shinji: But you are here now. That's all that matters.  
(Ritsuko blinks and looks over at Shinji in shock. The boy smiles gently.)  
  
Ritsuko: Why? Why do you care?  
Shinji (shaking his head): Does there have to be a reason? Should a person always have a reason for helping another?  
(Silence)  
Ritsuko (closing her eyes): I knew you were different the moment I saw you.  
Shinji: Huh?  
Ritsuko (cracking a smile): Like father...like son... Your methods are just different.   
Shinji (gently): Feeling better?  
(The boy is shocked when he feels the doctor take his hand and give it a squeeze.)  
Ritsuko (softly): You're in the wrong profession. You're good that this.   
Shinji: ...you tried to do...something, didn't you?  
Ritsuko (sighing): Is it that obvious?  
Shinji: Only to me. You always seem so strong, like Asuka and Misato-  
Ritsuko: Shinji, I'm going to let you in on a little secret before I let them have you back.  
Shinji (blinking owlishly): "Them?" Them who-  
Ritsuko (softly): Sometimes...it is the strongest ones who have the softest hearts.  
Shinji (confused): Wha-  
Asuka (calling): SHINJI!!  
Touji (muttering loudly): I can't believe it...only Ikari could get lost in a place like this!  
Hikaru (calling): Come out, come out, wherever you are!   
Asuka: I don't remember asking you to come, Sixth Child!  
Hikaru: That's because I came on my own, Second Child. You can't be trusted in a matter such as this.  
Asuka: What did you say?!  
Shinji (covering his eyes with his hand): Ritsuko?  
Ritsuko: Yes, Shinji?  
Shinji: Tell me you have some sort of brilliant plan of evading them.  
Ritsuko (chuckling as she stood up): Sorry, my dear, but there are two things in life that you can never get away from. One is your friends...no matter how much you would wish it to be otherwise.  
Shinji (peeking over at the blond doctor as he stood): W-What is the second thing?  
Ritsuko (smiling gently down at him): Your heart.  
-------------------------------------------------------------  
(He sits with his back against the tree. His fingers move over the strings of his guitar. His eyes are shut and the music coming from the amp is slow and relaxed. Rei stares at the man before her. She does not remember his name, but she knows that he works with Commander Ikari and Major Katsuragi. The other adults are sitting around, some drinking the alcoholic drink the Major brought.)  
Rei: ...  
(Shigeru humming a tune along with his music.)  
Rei: How do you do that?  
(Shigeru jerks, making him skip a beat and he looks up at the First Child.)  
Shigeru (startled): Huh?  
Rei: How do you make that sound with emotion.  
Shigeru (his fingers moving effortlessly on the guitar): "Sound with emotion?" Hmmm, never thought of it that way... I guess it just sort of comes from the soul.  
Rei: ...soul?  
Shigeru (gazing at Rei): You...never heard of the term, Ayanami?   
(The long-haired tech shrugs his shoulders and plays a few cords.)  
Shigeru (thoughtful): I guess the soul is what you are...the essence of you. Some people think of it as a spirit. Others think of it as a piece of God...or something like that. Me, I think it is my music!  
(The man grins up at the blue-haired girl and she just blinks down at him.)  
Shigeru: Huh... Oh, well... Do you have any requests, Ayanami? I can play a lot by ear.  
Rei: I...do not know any music...  
Shigeru (sighing): Oh.  
Rei (sitting down before him in the grass, crossing her legs carefully): But I would like to learn this.  
(Shigeru smiles and makes an affirmative rolling of sound with the instrument.)  
Shigeru: Sure! No problem. Let's see...I know! I call this one "Fly Me to the Moon..."  
(The man and girl do not notice Misato and Maya gaping at the two.)  
Maya (whispering): I would never have believed it if I hadn't just seen it!  
Misato (nodding): Rei...is different. She's changing, slowly, but surely. Maybe after spending so much time around normal kids, she is starting to understand what it is to be human.  
Maya: Sometimes...it's easy to forget about the Children.  
Misato (quietly): Well, they're always there. Without them we would be helpless. With them, we just have to deal with guilty consciences. I suppose over time we have convinced ourselves that one is better than the other.  
Maya: ...  
----------------------------------------------------  
Hikari: I can't believe you just said that, Suzuhara!   
Asuka (smug): I knew you would step in it eventually! I'm just happy that I was here to see it!  
Touji (growling): Well, it's the truth! Right, Shinji? Kensuke?  
Shinji (gulping as the females in the small group turn to glare at him and Kensuke): Leave me out of this! I won't touch that subject with a ten-foot pole!  
Kensuke (thoughtful): There is a larger ratio of men than women that are good at-OUCH!  
(The boy looks over his shoulder and finds a fuming Hikaru behind him, her hand ready to give him another chop across the back of the head should he open his mouth again.)  
Kensuke (sweat forming on his brow, adjusting his glasses): Eeek!  
Asuka (setting her hands on her hips): You didn't give a clear answer one way or another, Shinji!  
(Shinji backs away from the furious Second Child and looks around for help. His eyes fall on Ritsuko who stands in the shade of a nearby tree, amusement dancing in her eyes. The boy groans as he realizing that he is going to get no help from that corner.)  
Shinji (rubbing the back of his head): I...don't know.  
Hikari: You don't know?! I'm disappointed in you, Ikari!  
Hikaru (coming in front of Shinji): How could you say such a thing?! Are you sexist?!  
Shinji (shaking his head): What?! No!  
Touji (arms crossed solemnly across his chest): What is it, Shinji? Are you afraid of a bunch of girls?  
Shinji (cautiously): Do I have to answer that? Remember, I live with one of the girls here!  
Touji (scoffing, looking away): No balls at all.  
Shinji: Hey-  
Asuka (her eyes glinting maliciously): Okay, we'll see who is better at sports... I CHALLENGE YOU TO A MATCH OF VOLLEYBALL!!!  
(Her finger is right in Shinji's face as she makes this announcement. The boy staggers a step back, wincing as he does so.)  
Hikaru (her eyes suddenly softening as she sees the flash of pain in Shinji's eyes): Oh! Shinji, are you all right-?  
Touji (wrapping his arm around Shinji's neck): Of course he's all right! We are going to stomp you girls into the ground!!!  
(Shinji sighs and bows his head in defeat.)  
----------------------------------------------------  
Natasha (gazing toward the lake): It looks like the Children are back.  
Maya: Wow, it took them some time...hey-they have Dr. Akagi with them!  
Misato (mouth full of one of Hikari's sandwiches): It's about time! She's supposed to be relaxing and she runs off! Some people...  
Maya (looking at her feet): Um...Major?  
Misato (glancing over at the younger woman, swallowing): Yes, Maya?  
Maya: A-Are the rumors true? The rumors about Dr. Akagi...about her trying to kill-  
Misato (waving the rest of what the young woman had to say away): Oh, no. I've heard the same rumors and I can tell you that they are all lies! It's just that it is so rare for Ritsuko to be in the hospital, so there was bound to be some speculation. You work closely with Ritsuko...you know how strong is she!  
(The pretty, young woman smiles, relieved.)  
Maya: Oh, that's so good to hear! Excuse me for a moment, I'm going to see if Dr. Akagi is hungry!  
(Misato keeps smiling until Maya is hurrying away. Then, she frowns and gazes at Ritsuko. It is strange, but Misato finds that the shadow that had hovered around Ritsuko in the hospital seems to have vanished.)  
Natasha (quietly): Why did you lie to her?  
Misato (sighing): You haven't been here long enough to understand all the relationships and connections the people here have with each other. Maya...kind of looks up at Ritsuko. If Maya were to know about...well, know about that, it could cause some unnecessary friction.  
Natasha (folding her hands behind her back): So you did it for Maya's sake or Ritsuko's?  
Misato: ...I'm not sure. Maybe both of them.  
(Misato studies Maya's beaming face and Ritsuko's embarrassed smile. It seems that the younger woman is complimenting the doctor about something.)  
Misato (softly): They work well together. It is almost like a relationship of master and apprentice. I just pray that...  
Natasha (lifting a brow): "Pray that..."  
Misato (taking another bite of her sandwich): Pray that when Ritsuko has taught Maya everything she can, that the girl doesn't become hard like Ritsuko.  
Natasha (shrugging as she began walking toward the children): Well, how we live our lives is always up to ourselves. No matter what we may think, we are always the masters of our own destinies.  
Misato (turning to look at the other woman's back): If you believe that...maybe you are in the wrong profession.  
---------------------------------------------  
(Natasha is walking toward the children, interest lighting up her sharp features. The girls look grim while the boys Kensuke and Touji look coolly aloof. The Third Child is the only one who looks like he would like to be somewhere else, anywhere else.)  
Natasha (grinning): My, my, such looks on your faces. What's happening?  
Asuka (cracking her knuckles): We are going to put these sexist pigs in their place!   
Hikaru (her chin high): I still can't believe it! I could have expected this from Touji and Kensuke...but not you, Shinji!  
Shinji (shaking his head): I-I didn't-  
Hikaru (wiping unseen tears from her eyes): Well, I guess, the only way to set you straight is by pounding you into the ground in a good game of volleyball!  
Shinji (pleading toward Natasha): Please, Lieutenant Karpov! Talk some sense-  
(The boy stops when he sees that the Lieutenant is nodding in agreement with the girls. Shinji's shoulders sag and Ritsuko chuckles.)  
Ritsuko: Oh, come now, young Ikari. We're all friends here!  
Shinji (looking sadly over at the doctor): That's what I'm afraid of...  
---------------------------------------------  
Ritsuko (sitting on the bench next to Misato): Ah, these children...  
Asuka (calling from behind the truck as she is changing): And don't peek, you perverts!  
Touji (shouting from behind Misato's car): As if we would want to, you witch!  
Misato (sighing): Yeah, but at least it takes their mind off of...things for a while.   
(Ritsuko looks over her shoulder and makes sure that Maya is a ways off, getting her something to eat. She lets herself relax as a soothing, slow tone starts on Misato's stereo system.)  
Ritsuko (quietly): You've done a good job, Misato.  
Misato (looking over at her long-time friend): What do you mean?  
Ritsuko (nodding toward Misato's car): With the boy. I don't think that he would have been so...open when he first came to us.  
Misato (shocked): Y-You were with Shinji?  
Ritsuko (nodding as she closes her eyes): Yes. Sometimes, I see the Commander in him...other times, I see his mother in him. It is during those times that I don't...fear him so much.  
Misato: ...  
--------------------------------------------------  
(His footsteps seem to echo forever in this place. The high-powered lights far overhead hardly pierce the darkness here. His eyes flash behind his glasses as he gazes at the rows and rows of incomplete EVAs. Some have eyes that stare into the endless night. Others are nothing more than brain-cases with spinal columns. Ritsuko had once called them the true form of the Evangelions, but that wasn't really true. Berserker. That was the true form of the EVA, when it reverted back to its original mind-set.)  
Gendo (thinking): I always wondered how Shinji survived those times when the EVA did that. He is the only one I know of that came out of such incidents untouched.   
(FLASHBACK: Unit 00, its plug firing from its socket, slamming into the ceiling of the activation chamber. Rei, within the plug, barely conscious, blood draining from wounds on her head and body.)  
Gendo (thinking): Is it luck, or does she have something to do with this...  
(The Supreme Commander of NERV shakes his head and continues through the chamber. His hands are folded behind his back and he seems in to be in deep thought.)  
Gendo (thinking): How much longer will they wait? I can only stall them so long. The Digger was only the first of many, I'm sure.   
(The Commander lifts his head as he comes to a giant, active cylinder. It is much like the cylinder Rei had sat in during the design and creation of the Dummy System. Only this time, it is wrapped in metal that is dark, frosted, and much, much larger. The frosted metal sweats and the water bleeds down the massive container like so many tears. Printed in black paint near the top of the massive container is the inscription "UNITS 000-999.")  
Gendo: ...  
(Not even Ritsuko or Fuyutsuki truly knew about this. This pact with the devil...his last legacy. The beginning and the end. His first scenario would never work now. The First Child was more than she had been when she had first been created. Joining with Lillith was an impossibility for her now. Thus, the Infinity Solution. The problem was...could Gendo trust her? Could you ever trust someone whose hand you've forced?)  
(The Supreme Commander of NERV reaches out and touches the control pad of the container. The servomotors of the outer installation shutter to life and begin to pull back the mighty shell of the cylinder. Gendo looks up and feels a cynical grin tug at his lips.)  
Gendo: ...you never did respect us, did you?  
-----------------------------------------------------  
(Touji spins the volleyball on the palm of his left hand. His eyes glare at the redhead on the opposite side of the net.)  
Touji (sneering): Don't say I didn't warn you!  
Asuka (scoffing): That's my line, idiot! They are going to have to pack you up in a little jar and send you back to your sister when I'm done with you!  
(Asuka is wearing her red and white two-piece swimsuit she had bought with Kaji so many years ago. She is wearing a grin of absolute confidence on her lovely features as she braces her feet apart in the white sand. Hikaru is next to her, wearing a dark blue, single piece swimsuit. Her hair is tied back in a top-knot. She is trying to look determined and arrogant like her partner, but her eyes keep going to Shinji who looks pale in the afternoon sun. Hikari is behind both pilots, in a conservative green and sky-blue two-piece. Her hands are set on her hips and she is glaring at Touji.)  
Touji (bring a fist in front of his face): We'll see, little girl! Come on, Kensuke, serve already!  
(Kensuke smartly catches the ball that his friend tossed back at him. He is in camouflage shorts and tank-top, standard issue. He adjusts his glasses, then rolls the ball between his hands, and tosses up for an overhand serve.)  
Kensuke (shouting): Let's go!  
---------------------------------------------------  
(Rei is sitting in the grass, watching the match from a safe distance. Behind her, Shigeru is shaking his head in amazement, gazing suspiciously at his own guitar. The First Child is interested by the mock combat going on before her.)  
  
  
Rei (thinking): Anger, but not fury. The Second and Fourth Children are fierce in spirit, but yet, they do not wish each others' death. Competition is the word. The need to prove one's superiority to others.   
(Shinji dives for a spike delivered from the vengeful Asuka. The sand explodes around him and his hand gets under the ball just in time. The ball bounces up into the air and Touji rockets up to send the ball back where it came from. His eyes grow huge when he finds Hikaru in his way.)  
Asuka (laughing): In your face, Touji! Our serve!  
(Hikaru giggles and Shinji sighs as he pulls himself to his feet.)  
Shinji: I knew that this was a bad idea.  
Rei (thinking): The Third Child is not fierce as the others. Does he not believe in the competition...or the concept behind the competition?   
(Rei wraps her arms around her legs and rests her chin on her knees.)  
Rei (thinking): What is the purpose of competition? The battle of superiority...  
Asuka (holding her hand high, one finger up): That's one! Where's your male pride now?  
Touji (scowling): Shinji! How could you let that one through?!  
Shinji (wincing): Sorry...I'm a little tired.  
Kensuke: Here, take my spot. I'll cover the front.  
Hikaru (leaning around to see Shinji): Shinji...are you okay?  
Shinji (flashing a tired smile): I'll live, thanks.   
Rei (thinking): The Sixth Child. She fights in the competition, yet, she shows kindness to an opponent. Does this make her stronger?   
Asuka: Hey! Hikaru, no flirting with the enemy!!  
(Both Shinji and Hikaru blush in embarrassment. Asuka's fingers tighten savagely around the volleyball. She tosses it up and strikes the ball with all her strength.)  
Shinji (looking over his shoulder): I'll get it.  
Asuka (savagely): Damn it!   
Hikari (soothingly): Don't worry, we'll get it back.   
(She glances over at Touji.)  
Hikari: Just look who we are up against!  
Touji (insulted): Hey!  
Kensuke (patting his friend's shoulder): Don't dwell on it, my friend. They are girls, after all!  
Hikaru (chopping the air): Watch your words, Kensuke! You might have to eat them later!  
Shinji (panting slightly): Ready!   
Misato: Um...Rei?  
Rei (blinking, having not heard the Major's approach): Yes?  
Misato (gesturing to the grass next to the pale girl): May I sit?  
Rei: Why are you asking me?  
Misato: Well...uh, it's good manners to ask.  
Rei: ...I see. You may sit next to me, Major Katsuragi.  
Misato (sitting next to the First Child): Rei... you can call me Misato, like the other Children.  
Rei: Why?  
Misato (shrugging): Because I said it's okay.  
Rei: ...  
Misato (looking at the volleyball match): Rei...that was a really beautiful song you played on Shigeru's guitar! I didn't know you played.  
Rei: ...I didn't.  
Misato (blankly): Huh?  
Rei: I did not know how to use a guitar until today.  
Misato: My God!  
(At Rei's confused look, Misato explains quickly.)  
Misato: Rei...that's a little unusual. People usually can't play an instrument so well on their first try!  
Rei (quietly): I see. So what I did was wrong.  
Misato (shaking her head quickly): No! No, it was just...incredible! I didn't know you had an interest in music!   
Rei (softly): I didn't. It just...came to me.  
Misato (a little dazed): I see.  
(The woman and girl gaze out at the game before them, seeing that it has heated up quite a bit in the last few moments.)  
Touji (in a huddle with the two other boys): I don't believe we are being whipped by a bunch of girls!  
Shinji (hands braced on his knees): You're the one who pissed Asuka off... If you hadn't made that crack about being kept bare footed and in kitchens, we wouldn't be in this situation now!  
Kensuke: I guess it's too late to ask for a retreat...  
(Touji glares over at Kensuke and Shinji sighs.)  
Hikaru (calling through cupped hands): What's up, boys? Ready to give up already?  
Touji (fuming as he scowls back at the girl): I'll show you who's ready to give up! Come on, guys!  
Kensuke (sighing): Hopeless.  
Shinji: Yeah.  
------------------------------------------------  
Hyuga (gravely): It was sad.  
Shigeru (nodding his head slowly): Yeah...  
Natasha (slinging an arm around either of the guys' shoulders, more than a little drunk): So you guys are saying that it is an insult to be beaten by a team of girls? Is that it?  
Hyuga (wincing): I-I didn't say that!  
Shigeru: Y-Yeah, we would never say such a thing, Lieutenant!  
(Natasha frowns at both of them, looking for lies in their eyes.)  
Natasha: It must be a part of being a "man." Oh well. Come on, there's plenty of beer left over!  
Hyuga: B-But-!  
Shigeru: That is-!  
Natasha (dragging them toward the picnic table): Don't make me order you guys. Besides, a good swig of liquor will put some hair on your chests!  
Shigeru and Hyuga (sighing in defeat): Yes, ma'am.  
(Under the tree, Ritsuko and Misato watch as the Russian woman pushes beer cans into her "friends'" hands. The light is fading as the sun sets behind the foothills that surround Tokyo-3. Maya has fallen asleep, her cheek resting on Ritsuko's shoulder.)  
Misato: That woman...  
Ritsuko: Well, some wait for people to come to them. Others...use...different tactics.   
Misato (shaking her head): I hope she doesn't get both of them drunk! Someone's got to drive the truck back to the city.   
Ritsuko (resting her head against the tree): If worse comes to worse, I'll drive.  
Misato: ...are you feeling well enough for that?  
Ritsuko (small smile on her lips): I won't take everyone with me, if that's what you're asking.  
Misato: ...  
Ritsuko: Sorry, bad joke.  
Misato (looking over at Maya's sleeping face): I guess that this is the first time she's really had a drink. Sometimes, I forget how young some people in this organization are.  
Ritsuko: At least she can hold her liquor.  
Misato (stiffly): And just what are you implying?  
Ritsuko (shrugging her free shoulder): I never had to carry Maya to her bedroom where she could sleep in a drunken stupor...  
Misato (blushing): That was a very long time ago.  
Ritsuko: What was this I heard about you getting yourself blind drunk a while back? I heard that Kaji had to drag you to your room.  
Misato: ...yeah, that was a while ago...wasn't it.  
Ritsuko: ...are you okay? I never asked, but I never really thought about it. Selfish of me, sorry.  
Misato: It's okay. I'm...better.   
(Misato rolls her head back against the tree trunk and gazes up at the heart over her head.)  
Misato: ...who would have thought that I could lost him twice. I think that's a record for me.  
Ritsuko: ...  
Misato: You know what the worst of it is? I...never told him. I never opened to him.  
(Misato lowers her head.)  
Misato: I...ran away from him.  
Ritsuko (sighing): I'm sure that he knew. He...was very good at that sort of thing. He wasn't stupid.  
Misato (softly): No. He wasn't.  
(Ritsuko turns her eyes toward the Children. They have resorted to sitting on the beach now, gazing out at the dark, purple lake and bleeding sky. The girls have finally stopped bragging about their victory. Ritsuko can sense a storm brewing, though. The girl, Hikaru, has Shinji's hand between her own and she is giving what looks like a palm-reading. Asuka has a fierce look in her eyes as she gazes at the two.)  
Ritsuko: You know, Shinji started getting close to Kaji before...well, before. I can almost see a bit of him living on in the boy. While Kaji was a bit of a chauvinist and a slob-  
(Misato opens her mouth to protest, her eyes flaring.)  
Ritsuko (continuing): -but, he was a kind man. I know that he talked to Shinji on several occasions. In fact, I think at one point it was him that guided the boy when he felt lost. He was able to connect with Shinji in a way that none of us could have. If nothing else, there is that.  
Misato (gazing at Shinji who was in the middle of another argument between Asuka and Hikaru): Yeah...   
(A faint smile graces Misato's face.)  
Misato: Only someone with Kaji's temperament could let himself be pulled in two directions by two attractive girls.  
Ritsuko (sighing): And...there is that.  
-----------------------------------------  
(Night falls on Tokyo-3. Shadows stretch and deepen. Trees sway and whisper. The moon fills the sky with its pale glory. Within the foothills just outside Tokyo-3, night birds panic and take to the air. Only they see a particular shadow move of its own accord...)  
------------------------------------------  
To Be Continued...  
  
Author's Notes:  
That does it for Chapter Four. It was different from the other chapters simply because it took the pace a step down and let the characters relax...or some of them, anyway!   
In this chapter, Shinji found himself speaking to Ritsuko on a level he hadn't known existed. I believe that Ritsuko would have needed a release like the one I showed here, or she would have eventually destroyed herself. They really talked this time and formed a sort of relationship that can possibly grow in the future chapters...(I'm not going to tell!)  
A battle of the sexes...sigh, sorry, I had to put that in there. It was bound to happen with Touji and Asuka going at each others' throats all the time. I would like to think that Touji learned something from this (but I won't hold my breath!)  
Of course, as always, C&C is welcome at omnidragon@trigun.com. Hope to hear from you!  
  
  



	5. When All is Said and Done, I'm Still Her...

-------------------------  
The Characters and concept of Neon Genesis Evangelion are property of Gainax. I created this "scenario" in the spirit of the TV series. I made it in the hope that it would open up people's minds and give something to a series that really touched me. This little series that I have created is a piece of fan fiction thought up by yours truly, so if you are going to copy or distribute this work, please give credit where it is due, k? Now enjoy!  
--------------------------  
Evangelion: Step beyond the Abyss  
  
Chapter Five:   
When All is Said and Done, I'm Still Here   
  
Background:   
Let's see if I can bring you up to speed, if you have, by chance, forgotten the last Chapter of SBTA.   
In Chapter Four, Shinji was released into Misato's tender, but carefree hands. In her mind, what was a better way of celebrating the most recent victory over the Angels than with a nice, friendly party out in the country.   
Shinji's weak objections not withstanding Misato's determination, the Third Child found himself at a party with the other Children and several of the key personnel from NERV. Unfortunately for Misato and Asuka, Lieutenant Karpov discovered the party and invited herself and Hikaru. Sparks soon flew between Asuka and Hikaru, driving Shinji to seek some peace and quiet elsewhere.   
Out in the forest, a recovering Ritsuko found Shinji and the two end up having a heart to heart. It is then that Shinji learned of Ritsuko, her relationship to his father, and her somewhat dark genesis with NERV.  
While shocked by all that was being told to him, Shinji comforts Ritsuko with a gentleness that surprises the doctor. All was calm before Shinji's friends found him and dragged him back to the party, a silently amused Ritsuko in tow. On the way back, Touji's big mouth got him and his fellow males in trouble with the girls in the group. The resulting Volleyball game was anything but friendly...  
In the meantime, Rei Ayanami found herself learning about the art form called music. Guided by the local musician, Shigeru, Rei learned to play the guitar well, far too well for her first time.  
We left off last time as a dark shadow was moving toward the modern-day fortress of Tokyo-3...   
--------------------------------------------  
  
  
  
(Darkness. Darkness and padding. Consciousness is slow to come and the unfamiliar surroundings do nothing to reassure the boy. He is naked and alone. His breathing is the only sound in the chamber.)  
Shinji (lifting his face off the floor): H-Hello?  
(Silence)  
Shinji: Where am I?  
(Silence)  
Shinji (fear creeping into his voice): W-What's going on?! Anyone?! HELLO?!  
(Silence)  
Voice: You are alone.  
Shinji (eyes searching): W-Who is that?!  
Voice: We are here alone. They have abandoned you.  
Shinji (backing into a corner): W-What are you talking about?  
Voice: You tried to kill them all and now they have abandoned you.  
Shinji: ...!!  
-------------------------------------------  
(The Katsuragi apartment is silent except for a dripping sink somewhere. Hikaru quietly sits down at the kitchen table and pulls a pack of Tarot cards from the pocket of her shorts. She begins to set the cards out on the table before her, her eyes serious and a little red.)   
Asuka (coming up behind the girl, her voice hoarse): What are you doing?  
Hikaru (her hands moving with simple ease over the cards): Seeking answers.  
(Asuka sits down in the chair across from the other pilot, crossing her legs on the seat. She is in a pair of dark shorts and a yellow tank top. Her face is a little pale and her shoulders are stiff.)  
Asuka (quietly): I don't need a sitter. I don't know why Misato thought that I should be with someone. I'm...fine.  
Hikaru (snapping a card down): I don't think that any of us are fine, Second Child.   
Asuka: ...  
(Hikaru begins the Tarot reading. Her motions are smooth and practiced.)  
Hikaru: Besides, we might as well be together than apart. There is strength in numbers, right?  
Asuka (looking toward out the window at the overcast sky outside): I don't know about you, but I stand on my own.   
Hikaru (calmly): But should you if you don't have to. You don't have to prove anything to me, Soryu. I believe that you think you are strong.  
Asuka (fuming, her voice cracking): And you don't believe me?  
Hikaru: No one can be strong one hundred percent of the time. It is usually the ones who believe they are invincible that fall the hardest.  
Asuka: ...  
Hikaru (looking down at the card before her, her eyes going wide): ...!  
Asuka (crossing her arms carefully): What? Find your answers?  
Hikaru (slowly shaking her head): ...he will have a choice.   
Asuka (closing her eyes): A choice...  
(Thunder rumbles in the distance.)  
-------------------------------------------  
(The rain comes up suddenly, washing over the site with a vengeance, making dirt turn to mud and blood thin.)  
Misato: ...  
(Trees for kilometers around are flattened and snapped like match-sticks. This part of Tokyo-3's border seems like some giant child had thrown a tantrum and had taken its anger out on the earth.)  
Natasha (grimly): ...you've done this before.  
Misato (looking up at the umbrella that the Lieutenant raised over their heads): Sort of. I don't know what's worse; looking for clues or the waiting.  
Natasha: The boy...has there been any word?  
Misato (closing her eyes): No...  
(FLASHBACK: Ritsuko (turning toward Misato): It's all up to him, Misato.   
Misato (trembling): Isn't there anything you can do?  
Ritsuko (looking out the window at the site below the VTOL craft): It was his choice. It wasn't like there was much else that could be done-  
Misato (harshly): That was no choice! It was him or them! It is so cruel!!  
Ritsuko (looking gravely over at Misato): ...if it helps at all, know that I will be with him every step of the way. You will be the...first to know if all goes well.  
Misato (looking out the window): Thank you...  
(Present)  
Misato: I would never have thought... When he first came here, he piloted EVA because we told him to. That's how he moved through life. He was like a robot, never showing what he was really feeling, doing what you asked him to. But, he's changed. It was a slow process and not without it's bumps... And now...now to lose him like this-!  
Natasha (quietly): He's not gone, yet, Major. They might not look it, but these Children have more strength than any of us could know.  
(Misato looks away from the Lieutenant and gazes at Unit 01's hand, which lays not thirty meters from the two women. It was cleanly severed at the wrist. Its position seems to be one like a claw...)  
Misato: ...we hope.  
---------------------------------------------  
(Fuyutsuki finds the Supreme Commander on an isolated catwalk, watching as Evangelion Unit 01 is slowly lowered into the pool of stasis fluid.)  
Gendo (quietly): This is an unnecessary measure. We all know that there is no threat of contamination from Unit 01 any longer.  
Fuyutsuki (bracing his hands on the rail of the catwalk): The Committee is already up in arms about the whole incident to begin with. Do you wish to push them further by not taking a few minor precautions?   
Gendo (face grim): ...  
Fuyutsuki: Who would have thought-  
Gendo: He is too soft. We would have handled the problem, eventually.  
Fuyutsuki (looking over at the Supreme Commander): How can you say that? I doubt he would have wanted to live that way.  
Gendo: He came through the Unit 03 incident stronger. This would be no different.  
Fuyutsuki: ...can you be certain that we would have been able to handle this without his intervention?  
Gendo (gazing at Unit 01's grinning face): We would have found a way.  
Fuyutsuki: At the cost of Rei, Asuka, and Hikaru?  
Gendo: Unit 01 and its pilot are far more important to our survival than those pawns.  
Fuyutsuki (looking back to the horrible creation): ...I think I will reserve judgment on that matter.  
Gendo (cynical): You are entitled to your opinion, professor...as always.  
(The two men gaze at the EVA, their eyes going over the EVA's severed wrist, cracked armor, and gaping mouth.)  
Fuyutsuki: ...we can only pray now.  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki (after a long silence): Can you still say that we don't need the UN's help?  
Gendo: We are fine as we are. Unit 04 was bad enough.  
Fuyutsuki: Ikari, we are at the epicenter of this conflict. We can't afford to turn down help when it is offered.  
Gendo: ...the designated pilot is unacceptable.   
Fuyutsuki (incredulously): So you're saying that the UN should just flush the Core down the toilet?! Do you forget what we are dealing with here?!  
Gendo: That fact is never far from my thoughts, Professor.  
Fuyutsuki: ...you will not be able to hold them back forever, Ikari. Would you sacrifice Mankind for your pride?  
Gendo: I will not work with worthless tools.  
Fuyutsuki: Worthless...tools.  
Fuyutsuki (thinking): Can you even hear yourself anymore, Gendo?   
Gendo: If there is no other choice, I will consider the new EVA. Otherwise, the UN can do as they will with the Core.  
----------------------------------------------  
Maya (softly): Ma'am, I don't know if I can do this.  
(Ritsuko and Maya are sitting in a darkened room by themselves. While both are completely competent, the real reason for them being alone is because of the very nature of their mission. Only a choice few could even know about what the two women are dealing with.)  
Ritsuko (a cup of coffee in her hand as she gazes at the view screen): Would you leave me to do this myself, Maya? Would you abandon him?  
Maya (bowing her head slightly): Ma'am... B-But we might as well do that! That's what he thinks!  
Ritsuko (sighing softly): We can't afford to reveal ourselves. Shinji must do this himself. We cannot allow the Entity to hide itself.   
Maya: ...  
Ritsuko: And no matter what you may think, Maya, I'm just as concerned about Shinji as you are...  
(The younger woman looks back at the doctor and finds Ritsuko gazing at the view screen, her eyes very solemn. On the screen, Shinji is curled up in a ball, his eyes staring at nothing...)  
------------------------------------  
Asuka: You always think too much. You never just accept things as they are. You are so stupid!  
Shinji (looking over his shoulder): Why can't I question things? What's wrong with knowing?  
Rei: You seek the truth...then you run away from it when it is too much to bear. Is this logical?  
Shinji: But why shouldn't I run away?! What is there to be gained by standing there and just taking it?  
Hikaru: Life is full of those special little lessons. If you gamble nothing, then you don't earn anything.  
Shinji (looking hopeful): Maybe I'm happy the way everything is!  
(Flash of memory: Hand wrapped around another's throat.)  
(Shinji staggers and shakes his head.)  
Misato: You are still running away. You don't trust others to help you.  
Voice: You don't accept help when it is offered.   
Shinji (bowing his head): Because people usually want something in return.  
Asuka: That's how life is, you dork! You give some and you take some! God, you are so selfish! No wonder your dad dumped you!  
Shinji (shouting): Father hated me! It wasn't my fault!  
Rei: Then, how do you explain it?  
Shinji: ...  
Asuka: You never want to take responsibility for yourself! It's always this or that! I've lived with you so long that I've begun to think that the whole world is against you!  
Shinji: You don't know how it has been-  
Asuka (shouting): Who cares! Most people hit bumps in life and just move on! You just sit there, dwelling on it!  
Shinji: ...  
(The face of Evangelion Unit 01 appears before Shinji.)  
Shinji: Most people don't have to deal with things like this!  
Voice: True, but most people have the ability to adapt to their situations.  
Shinji: ...I can't adapt to this...  
Voice: Then you will die...  
----------------------------------------  
(It is a lonely corridor, leading to the depths of Terminal Dogma. Gendo Ikari is walking slowly, with only a slight limp visible. He has a thoughtful look on his face, but his eyes are hidden by the glare on his glasses. He suddenly pauses.)  
Gendo: I could have you killed on the spot right now.  
Natasha (after a long pause): ...you are good.  
Gendo: This place is restricted access. You would be wise not to abuse your welcome here.   
Natasha (stepping out from the room she had been hiding in): I report to the Committee, not to you, Commander. It would seem that you have made some very dangerous enemies.  
Gendo (turning toward the Lieutenant): As all great men do.  
Natasha: ...I see that you are a very modest man.   
Gendo: I have work to do. What is it you want, Lieutenant.  
Natasha (crossing her arms under her breasts): I merely have a few questions that I want answered.  
Gendo: "Questions?" You want to waste my time with questions?  
Natasha (a slight grin on her lips): Yeah...I do.  
Gendo: ...and if I refuse...?  
Natasha: Then I will be forced to inform the Committee about the continued presence of an Angel within NERV Central.  
Gendo: ...I see.  
(Silence)  
Gendo: Ask your damned questions.  
Natasha: A slight hesitation on your part, hmmm? Are you hiding something else, Commander Ikari?  
Gendo: I am sure I don't know what you are talking about.  
Natasha: I see. Then, let's talk about what you do know about.  
(Gendo makes a sweeping motion with his hand as if to say "be my guest.")  
Natasha: You restrained the Major when she could have done something...about the incident. Why is that?  
Gendo: This is required.  
Natasha (confused): "Required?" What sort answer is that?!  
Gendo: The only one you are going to get. It will make sense in time.  
Natasha (narrowing her eyes at him): You seem to value the Test Model more than the full-scale Combat Model. That doesn't make any sense at all-  
Gendo: Sometimes older things are better than newer ones.  
Natasha: Perhaps you merely value your son more than Asuka Soryu. Perhaps you are letting emotion cloud your judgment!  
(Gendo calmly gazes at the Lieutenant.)  
Natasha: Don't think that by giving me these half-truths that I will be satisfied in the least. I will get my answers!  
Gendo: For professional reasons...or personal?  
Natasha (gasping): What-?!  
Gendo: You aren't the only one who can look into classified files, Lieutenant Karpov. You should always remember that.  
Natasha (growling): You don't scare me, you bastard-  
Gendo: But I make you cautious. That is good enough for now.  
Natasha: ...  
Gendo (turning away): Don't come down here again or you will be shot on sight.  
(The Commander's footsteps echo back to the silent Russian woman. Finally, she moves, and punches the metal wall.)  
Natasha (savagely): Damn it!  
---------------------------------------------  
(The field is vast and beautiful. It is covered by flowers of every shape and color. The sky is blue with long, white clouds that pass slowly overhead like giant, bellowing ships. Shinji is sitting on one of the hills, hands braced behind him with his legs stretched out in front of him.)  
Shinji (looking around): How did I get here?  
Voice: You came here because you wanted to be somewhere else.  
(The boy starts and looks over his shoulder.)  
Shinji (face suddenly pale): ...no!  
(Kaoru Nagisa is standing behind him, hands in his shorts' pockets, face in casual serenity.)  
Shinji (shaking his head slowly): Y-You can't be-  
Kaoru (sitting besides the Third Child): Can't be what?  
Shinji: Y-You are dead!  
Kaoru (shrugging): Oh, that.  
Shinji: ...!  
Kaoru: Is that going to bother you?  
Shinji: ...I...  
(The boy finally bows his head in defeat.)  
Shinji: I don't know what is going on anymore.  
Kaoru (laughing): Well, a lot has been going on. It's understandable.  
Shinji: Please...tell me what's happening.  
Kaoru (sighing): I'm sorry, Shinji. You failed.  
Shinji: ...God...  
Kaoru: It was very bad. You almost wiped out your fellow teammates. I must admit. It was very shocking. I don't even think that Unit 03 was so brutal..  
(Shinji covers his face with his hands.)  
Shinji: ...why? Why would I do such a thing?  
Kaoru: You couldn't control yourself. The EVA was too much for you. You went berserk...just like before. You knew not what you were doing.  
Shinji (lifting his face suddenly): I would never-  
Kaoru (softly): But you did.   
(The gray-haired boy stands and walks a few steps away.)  
Kaoru: I do think that somewhere inside you, you actually enjoyed the sound of their agony-  
Shinji: No!  
Kaoru: Yes. I believe that...Asuka screamed the loudest and the longest. How they must hate you.  
(The land around the boys is growing gray. The plants are dying and the sky is taking on a red hew.)  
Distant voice: .....don't...list-  
Shinji (his voice drained): ...what now?  
Kaoru: ...you have a choice.  
------------------------------------------------  
(Misato is walking slowly down a corridor within NERV Central. Her eyes are tired and her hair is a little wild around her head.)  
Misato (thinking): Nothing. Not even a trace remains out there.   
(An image of Unit 01 flashes in her mind, it's head thrown back, screaming its torment.)  
(Misato presses a hand to her heart and she closes her eyes.)  
Misato (thinking): Why him? More than the others, it seems like the Angels always seek him out...torment him more than the others.  
(Misato's stomach growls and she wonders when she ate last. It seems like a lifetime ago. She turns toward the cafeteria. The large chamber is silent and empty except for the several rows of rectangular tables and chairs. Misato gets a tray of food from the vending machine on one wall and moves to sit down at one of the tables. She jumps however, when she hears the sound of a page turning. She turns toward the sound and finds Rei Ayanami sitting by herself with a schoolbook in front of her.)  
Misato (softly): Rei...  
(The girl does not look up and it is then that Misato realizes that the girl has earplugs in with a SDAT player in front of her.)  
Misato (thinking): It's just like...Shinji's...  
Misato: Rei...?  
(The girl continues to read. Misato reaches out and touches the girl's shoulder. Rei starts and looks up at the major. She blinks and slowly removes the earplugs from her ears.)  
Rei: Major Katsuragi...  
Misato (trying for a smile): I didn't realize that you liked music so much, Rei.  
Rei: I didn't. Until now.  
Misato: ...  
Rei: ...is there something you wanted, Major Katsuragi?  
Misato (thinking): Did I want something?  
Misato (slowly): Just someone to talk to.  
Rei (starting to rise): ... I shall get someone-  
Misato (truly smiling this time): I meant you, Rei.  
Rei: ...oh.  
Misato (sitting down across from Rei): How are you feeling?  
Rei: ...I...am not injured...  
Misato: That's not what I asked, Rei.  
Rei (closing her book gently): I feel...restless...  
(Her hand touches the SDAT player beside her.)  
Rei: Shinji....he found...comfort in music... I seek the same.  
Misato (surprised): You seek comfort?  
Rei (her head turning toward her book, her soft voice confused): Things are not as they were, Major Katsuragi. They have changed, yet I still do not know my place.  
Misato: ...  
Rei: But I know one thing...I know that I do not want to leave Shinji Ikari's side.  
Misato: Rei...  
Rei (blinking at something, her eyes growing wide): He-He...is dear to me...  
(Misato can feel her mouth go slack with shock. She knows of Rei's origins, or rather, about them. The girl, herself, is still much of a mystery to the Major. Yet, over the last few weeks, she has noticed that the girl was changing on a very subtle, basic level. She still doesn't act like a normal girl...or a human being for that matter, but there is something...a warmth in the girl's eyes that wasn't there before.)  
Misato (smiling sadly): ...I understand. I do know that sometimes Shinji had trouble understanding his place with us. At certain points in our lives, none of us know where we belong.  
Rei (gazing at the SDAT player): Then...I am not alone.  
Misato: You never were.  
-------------------------------------------  
Shinji (slowly, his head down): I need to see... I must see what I did.  
Kaoru (shaking his head): I really don't think that is a wise idea. I don't think that you can handle it, my friend.  
Shinji (looking up suddenly, begging): Please...show me. Help me...  
(The gray-haired boy gazes down at Shinji for a long moment. He sighs and looks up at the red sky overhead. It looks much like they are under a sea of blood. Shinji doesn't see the slight, secret grin on the boy's lips.)  
Kaoru (his eyes flashing): Then...as you wish...  
--------------------------------------------  
(Two Days Ago)  
(The four Evangelions stand ready several kilometers from Tokyo-3. The newest threat to NERV moves slowly toward the city, like the shadow of a solar eclipse. As with the Sea of Dirac, any tree, any structure that comes in contact with it, is devoured.)  
Asuka: Don't do anything stupid this time, Shinji! We don't want to peel you out of your plug like last time!  
Shinji: What the hell are you talking about?! As I remember, you were the one who told me to take point!  
(Asuka's face burns at the memory and pushes the thought away with a flick of her wrist.)  
Asuka: And who was the one dumb enough to take point?  
Shinji (growling): Why you-  
Misato: Children, please! Try to keep your minds on the mission at hand!  
Hikaru: What exactly is that thing? How are we supposed to beat something with no central body?  
(Her eyes are haunted, remembering what had happened to Shinji the last time they had encountered something like this.)  
Hikaru (thinking): I won't let that happen again!  
Misato (hesitant): Well, at this time, we are just going to try to observe and find a pattern. We would rather handle this one by the book-  
Asuka (scoffing): There's a book written on this?   
Misato (annoyed): A figure of speech, Asuka. Shinji, Rei, you two are going to move in closer to get a better look at the Angel. Be extremely careful! If we tell you to get back, you move!  
Shinji: Roger.  
Rei: Yes, ma'am-  
Asuka (furious): WHAT?! Why are you sending Wonder Girl up with that idiot, Shinji?!  
Hikaru (smirking): Maybe because they don't want a screw up like last time!  
(Unit 02 turns violently toward Unit 04, raising its fists.)  
Asuka (shouting): What did you say?!  
Misato: Asuka, calm down. We want someone with experience to be able to lay down cover-fire.   
Asuka (her mood turning 180): Oh! Well, why didn't you say so!   
(Asuka grins over at Unit 04.)  
Asuka (gloating): See!  
--------  
(Inside the Command Center.)  
Misato (rubbing the bridge of her nose, quietly): Thank God she bought that...  
Ritsuko (grin on her face): Trying to keep the peace by feeding Asuka's ego?  
Misato: Do you have a better plan?  
Natasha (arms crossed, gazing up at the view screen): That girl is so unpredictable... Reminds me of myself as a little girl!  
Misato (thinking): The thought boggles the mind.  
Maya: Major, Units 01 and 00 are approaching the Angel's outer perimeter.   
Misato (serious once more): Bring it up on the main screen.  
-------  
Shinji: ...  
(A lake of darkness spreads out before the boy. The surface is completely flat.)  
Shinji: No activity. It's like it doesn't even know we are here!  
Misato (her face popping up on the screen besides Shinji's face): One could say the same of a tiger before it pounces. Watch your scopes and yourself, Shinji!  
Shinji: You don't have to remind me, Misato. I am well aware of the dangers involved!  
Rei: ...?  
(Unit 00 slowly scans the surrounding area.)  
Rei: No...trees...  
---------  
Shigeru (shouting): AT Field detected!  
Misato: Shinji! Rei!  
--------  
Rei (calling over to Unit 01): Shinji! We are standing on the Angel!  
Shinji: What?!  
(As if on cue, Unit 01's feet begin to sink into a suddenly black ground.)  
Shinji (screaming): Goddamn it! Not again!  
(Out of instinct rather than conscious thought, Shinji forms an AT Field under his EVA's feet. The Angel's mass violently ripples away from the covered limbs and the EVA leaps back.)  
Rei: Don't look back! Just run, Shinji!  
(Unit 00 is already sprinting toward the city while gazing back at its companion. Unit 01 is running, but the Angel's body is right behind it, devouring everything in its path.)  
Rei: Come on! You are almost-urrgh!  
(To everyone else, it looks like Unit 00 has run into a wall. The only thing that reveals what happened is the fading glow of an AT Field. Unit 00 falls back and Rei shakes her head. Her eyes look up and she gasps. To the girl, everything is revealed.)  
---------  
Misato: What the hell-?!  
Hyuga (turning toward the major frantically): Major, a new AT Field has been detected! It's like a dome that surrounds the Angel along with Units 00 and 01! They are trapped inside!  
Misato: Oh God! Asuka! Hikaru! Get over there and help Rei neutralize that AT Field!  
Asuka and Hikaru: Roger!  
(Units 02 and 04 charge toward the place where Unit 00 is struggling to form a hole in the barrier.)  
Maya (her eyes on the image of Unit 01): This is going to be tight!  
--------  
Asuka (screaming): What the hell are you doing, Ayanami?!   
Rei: ...it...is not coming...easy...  
Asuka: Son of a bitch! Do I have to do everything?!  
(Unit 02 reaches up and pulls its Progressive Knife from its holster. Unit 04 gets there a moment later, drawing its twin Progressive Blades like some sort of ancient warrior.)  
Hikaru (desperate): Shinji! Hurry! Hurry!  
(Units 02 and 04 attack the AT Field with slashes and desperate stabs. The barrier begins to tear, but slowly. Unit 00 inserts its fingers into the tear and begins to pull it apart with all the strength in its frame. The EVA trembles under the strain.)  
Rei (eyes closed in concentration): ...  
(The AT Field sudden rips wide and Unit 00 stumbles through. The EVA looks over its shoulder at Unit 01. Unit 01 is a mere fifty meters from the tear when it happens.)  
Hikaru: ...!  
Misato: No...  
Asuka: Shinji!  
(The shadow body of the Angel seems to leap forth from the ground to form of an inky black cloak, catching the EVA by the shoulders. The black matter that touches the EVA instantly begins to contaminate the mecha. Veins appear in the EVA's armor and it seems to be in pain.)  
Shinji (screaming): ARRRGHHH!!  
(Unit 02 starts for the tear, but powerful red and black arms wrap around its shoulders, stopping its progress.)  
Asuka (her eyes wild as she looks over her shoulder): What are you doing, Hikaru?! Let me go!  
Hikaru (her voice cracking): What can you do against that, Asuka?  
Asuka (her EVA struggling): I-I will think of something! Let me go!  
Shinji: NO!!! GET OUT OF MY MIND!!!  
(Asuka's head snaps back around and finds the EVA holding its head. The Angel was now devouring the EVA. It bows its head against the internal agony and all that Asuka can do is watch.)  
----------  
Misato: Damn it! Asuka! Hikaru! Where are your assault rifles?!  
(On screen, the two EVA look over their shoulders, toward the city.)  
Natasha (shock written on her face): My...God...   
Maya (crying out): EVA Contamination at 89%!!  
(Above the main floor)  
Fuyutsuki: Isn't there anything-  
Gendo: We will have to regroup and look at this problem another way.  
Fuyutsuki: Sir...what about the boy-  
Gendo: He was careless. We will...deal with him later. Major, call the remaining Units back.  
Misato: ...  
Gendo (looking down): Major, I gave you an order.  
Misato (bowing her head): ...  
Gendo (impatient): Damn it. Lieutenant Ibuki, open a channel to the EVAs!  
Maya: S-Sir-  
Gendo (shouting): Now!  
Maya: Y-Yes, sir! Channel open.  
Gendo: Units 00, 02, and 04, retreat to Area 35, immediately.   
Asuka (her enraged face appearing on the view screen): You can't be serious! Shinji is-  
Gendo: Pilot Ikari is gone, Pilot Soryu...as you can see.  
(Asuka turns and a hand comes up to her mouth as she realizes that Unit 01 has disappeared from sight.)  
Hikaru (her image appearing next to Asuka's): Sir, surely we can do something-  
Gendo: I will not have multi-billion dollar war-machines wasted on childish dreams, Pilot Sohma. Retreat at once or you will all face court martial!  
Asuka: ...  
Hikaru: ...  
Rei: ...yes, sir.  
(On the main screen, Unit 00 turns away from the Angel and begins walking toward the city.)  
Asuka (savagely): Damn it! Wonder Girl strikes again! You really are a fucking doll!  
Rei: ...  
Gendo: What is the condition of the target?  
Hyuga (quietly): It has stopped its advance two and a half kilometers outside the perimeter of the city, sir.  
Shigeru: There is activity from the Angel, but the readings are minor.  
Misato (her voice quiet and brittle): It's focusing on its meal now...  
Gendo (after a moment): Major Katsuragi, you are relieved of duty as of now. Go somewhere and pull yourself together. When you are ready to behave professionally, you may return. Lieutenant Karpov, you take command for now.  
Natasha (looking over at the Major, who remains silent): Yes, sir.   
(Without another word, Commander Ikari stands and leaves the Command Center. Natasha begins to open her mouth to say something to Misato, but the Major turns and slowly makes her way out of the chamber. She looks very tired.)  
Natasha (thinking): No wonder he's called the Bastard...  
---------------------------------------   
(Asuka is sitting by herself on the top of the on-site EVA docking platform, safely out of the range of the Angel. She is still in her plug suit with her arms wrapped around her knees and her hair shielding her eyes.)  
Hikaru (stepping off the elevator, softly): Asuka? Are you up here?  
Asuka (from within the shadow cast by Unit 02, her voice deathly quiet): Leave me alone...  
Hikaru: I-It isn't good that you are by yourself at a time like this. You should be surrounded by others that care about you-  
(Asuka's cynical laugh stops the dark-haired girl.)  
Asuka: "Others that care about me?" Who might that be, Sixth Child?  
Hikaru (shrugging): I know that you are really popular at school. Surely you have some friends or someone.  
Asuka (softly): No one really gives a damn about this stuck-up bitch...  
Hikaru: That's not true... I know that Hikari cares, Major Katsuragi cares...I can see it in their eyes-  
Asuka (her hands balling into fists): Ah, yes, your famous "Second Sight"... I heard about that from kids at school. You should have your own hotline.  
Hikaru: It is obvious to anyone who looks.   
(The Sixth Child gazes at Asuka for a long moment.)  
Hikaru (slowly): But you don't want to see that. You like thinking that you are all alone in the world. That makes you...strong?  
Asuka (snapping): Why don't you go and leave me alone?!  
Hikaru (quietly): Because I care.  
Asuka: ...  
Hikaru: It doesn't matter if we have been adversaries in the past, we are still human beings. We are supposed to take care of each other.  
Asuka (scoffing): Ha.  
Hikaru: I know of someone else who cares deeply for you.  
Asuka: ...?  
Hikaru: Shinji-  
Asuka (savagely, her arms tightening around her knees): Don't say his name!  
Hikaru: Why is it so painful? You don't want to hear that he cares for you?  
Asuka (growling): He only cared about showing me up! He was always better! He never gave a damn about me!  
Hikaru: I don't think that's true. I think that you know that, too. Surely you don't need me to tell you that you are projecting yourself onto him now.  
Asuka: Why...?  
Hikaru: ...?  
Asuka: Why did he have to go, Hikaru?  
Hikaru (softly): ...because he cared.  
--------------------------------------------  
(Emergence. A hand slowly easing from the abyss of inky blackness. The blackness flows, coating the hand like a second skin.)  
(A face. A horrible, grinning mask with glowing eyes. A tortured soul...deep within.)  
(A howl that can be heard for kilometers around. Birds take flight into the darkened sky. A road is before the terrible creation and it takes its first step.)  
--------------------------------------------  
(Within a NERV briefing chamber.)  
Maya: At 21:34 hours, the...target began moving once more. It is slow.  
Natasha (arms crossed, grimly): ...that thing looks awfully familiar.  
Misato: ...I can't believe this is happening...again!  
Ritsuko (gazing down at the display panel on the floor): ...this is different than the Unit-13th Angel. This time, it would appear that the Angel actually is synchronizing with...the Evangelion. This is the result of complete contamination.  
Misato (softly): ...what of the pilot?  
Ritsuko (looking sadly over at the major): There is nothing coming from the target. All we can say is that the Blood Type is Blue.  
Misato (gazing down at the image of the familiar Angel): I see...  
Gendo (hands folded behind his back): Have you come up with a way to de-synchronize the Angel with Unit 01, yet, Dr. Akagi?  
(Those in the room are shocked into silence.)  
Misato (thinking): Concern? From the Commander?  
Ritsuko (gaping): Sir! We have never come across something like this! Asking me to de-synchronize the Angel with Unit 01 is like asking me to separate a person from their skin, layer by layer! It would be almost impossible to do, even in a controlled environment!  
Gendo (glasses shining from the light of the image panel): But it can be done.  
Fuyutsuki (leaning toward the Commander): Sir...surely-  
Gendo (snapping): I asked you a question, Dr. Akagi!  
(The blond doctor jerks as if Gendo had slapped her. Her eyes seem very old as she gazes solemnly at the grinning face of Unit 01.)  
Ritsuko: I would say I would have a .0000009% of success.  
Gendo: So, it is not impossible.  
Ritsuko: ...! I'm saying that it would take an act of a Higher Power for success! Even if I managed to pull off a miracle, I'm sure that the pilot would not survive!  
Gendo: ...the pilot is lost. You will go forward with plans to de-synchronize the Angel immediately. We will destroy Unit 01 as a very last resort.  
(With that, the Supreme Commander turns and leaves the briefing chamber. Ritsuko stares after the Commander for a long moment, then glances over at Misato. The Major is lost in thought, eyes locked with those of the new Angel.)   
Ritsuko (quietly): Maya, come on. We have work to do.  
Maya (nodding, looking over at Misato): Yes, ma'am.  
(Natasha shakes her head and follows after the two, leaving Misato alone.)  
Misato (to the image): ...Damn you. I should have listened, Kaji...  
-----------------------------  
(Hikaru looks over her shoulder, as she becomes aware of another. Rei stands at the elevator, her red eyes sparkling in the distant lights of Tokyo-3.)  
Asuka (vicious): What do you want, you bitch?!  
Rei: It is time. They have decided on a course of action.  
(Asuka comes to her feet slowly, her blue eyes blazing. Hikaru stands close, prepared to intervene if the German girl becomes violent.)  
  
  
Asuka: I'm sure that you are happy about that! Ever eager! Ever willing to do as ordered!   
Rei: ...  
Hikaru (gently): Asuka, Rei is not our enemy. She had nothing to do with...what happened-  
Asuka (taking a step toward Rei): But she was the first to turn tail and run! She left Shinji behind to die alone!  
Rei: ...would you have preferred that had I died with Shinji?  
Asuka (softly): Yes.  
Hikaru (horrified): Asuka!  
Rei (turning away from the two other pilots): Then...we share something in common... We are about to be briefed, come if you care.  
(The elevator lowers with the soft hum of servomotors, taking the blue-haired pilot from sight, leaving a stunned Asuka and Hikaru behind...)  
----------------------------------  
  
(It moves with the grace of a zombie. Its hands sway limply at its sides and its mouth gapes slackly. Each footstep is a small explosion in the serenity of night. Its eyes seem to glow in the starlight, burning with the insanity that comes from complete contamination.)  
Asuka (thinking): So EVA's true form is revealed...  
(FLASHBACK: Shinji (screaming): NO!!! GET OUT OF MY MIND!!!  
Asuka: Eaten alive by things that we cannot control...  
(FLASHBACK: Gendo (calmly): Pilot Ikari is gone, Pilot Soryu...as you can see.  
Asuka (clenching her fist, thinking): Baka Shinji...you just had to stick your nose where it didn't belong! Now...now I'm alone...   
(The girl looks around her entry plug.)  
Asuka (thinking): Is it cold in here...or is it just me?  
(The girl looks out at the Angel some distance from her hidden EVA. She zooms in on the demonic face of the target and she feels a cold hand wrap around her heart.)  
Asuka (her teeth gritting): He...really is gone. Surely...even the invincible Shinji Ikari could not live through something like that.  
(FLASHBACK: (It is just after the attack of the Digger. Asuka is getting out of her hospital bed, Misato's stinging words still echoing in her ears. She can't sleep with the image of Shinji pulling open her super-heated plug with his unprotected hands bouncing around in her mind. She turns a cold eye to table filled with get-well flowers. Many are from guys who only want that One thing from her. Her eyes flare and her teeth flash savagely as her arm swipes those hated arrangements from the tabletop. They hit the tiled floor with a collective crash, sending dirt and blossoms everywhere. The girl stands there, gripping the edges of the table tightly, her head bowed.)  
Asuka (choked): No one gives a damn! They all want me to do this or that! Everyone!  
(Her blue eyes open and she sees that she missed one of the pots. She raises a hand violently to strike it down. The delicate, white flowers sit before her, fragile, striking a cord within her. They are strangely familiar. Asuka's eyes almost unwillingly seek the attached note.)  
Note:   
Asuka,  
Please get better soon,   
Yours Truly,  
Shinji  
(Asuka feels a frightening tightness in her chest and her drawn hand raises a bit higher. She...NEEDS to destroy everything that makes her feel weak...dependent...)  
Asuka (softly): He's like...every other man I've known! He'll want something...I know he will!  
Distant Internal Voice: But what if it is something that you want to give?  
Asuka: He...doesn't care...  
Voice: Are you so sure?  
(Asuka's striking hand suddenly comes down...and touches the flower with all the tenderness in her.)  
Asuka (choked): ...no.  
(Present)  
Asuka (to the Angel): And now I will never know...you took him from me.   
(The Angel continues toward the city, unmindful of the Second Child's rage.)  
Asuka (grinning a bit grimly): He wants you intact...but if you took Shinji away...then they are going to have to scrape you up with a spatula...  
------------  
(Within NERV Command Center)  
Misato: Let's get this over with.  
Ritsuko (rubbing the bridge of her noses): Okay, this was the best that Maya and I could come up with on such short notice...it is not going to be easy.   
(The doctor pulls up a map of the target site. The Angel is really getting close to Tokyo-3.)  
Ritsuko (tapping a key on the command console in front of her, highlighting a circular area of the map): When the Angel reaches this point, you three are going to attack. Your mission is going to be to activate your AT Fields the moment you start moving out. This is imperative because the Angel is going to sense you the moment you have power!  
Asuka: What do you want us to do, then? It takes about ten minutes to power up an EVA! Would you like us to just get out and push?  
Ritsuko (shoving her hands into her lab-coat pockets, face grim): No...  
(The doctor glances up behind her at Gendo Ikari. When he makes no move, she sighs heavily.)  
Ritsuko: We were never able to test this Activation method before. I-I'm sorry.  
Asuka (suspicious): What is this special Activation method?  
Ritsuko (composing herself): We are going to keep your EVAs completely silent until the last possible moment. When the Angel gets within the target range we will...activate your EVAs...without an Activation period.  
Asuka: ...!  
Hikaru (slowly): I'm afraid I don't understand.  
Asuka (growling): She means we are going to fry!  
Ritsuko (shaking her head): You won't fry, Asuka. You will be very...uncomfortable. You are going to instantly be connected with your EVA. It will be a lot of information for your nerves to handle at once...  
Asuka (grimly): I'm guessing we don't have a choice in the matter-  
Gendo: If you have a problem, Pilot Soryu, then you may step down.  
Asuka (wide-eyed): You've-You've got to be joking! Wonder Girl and the Rookie can't do this themselves!  
Gendo: This is not the time or the place for cowards. If you have a problem with the mission, then just leave.  
Asuka (gritting her teeth): Bastard...I'm no coward! I will not stand down!  
(Gendo smirks under his folded hands.)  
Ritsuko (cautiously): Once...your EVAs have been activated, you will charge the Angel and trap it in between your AT Fields. It will be up to you three to get the contained Angel to Access Hatch 05 where we will put the Angel into Stasis.   
Asuka: ...  
Hikaru: My God...  
Rei: ...very well.  
Misato (heavily): ...be careful, guys...250 seconds until contact...  
-----------------------------  
(Hikaru is sitting in her pilot seat, eyes closed, trying to prepare herself for that which is to come. Asuka's angry words seem to reflect back at her at strange moments, testing her resolve and her self-confidence.)  
(FLASHBACK: Asuka (growling): She means we are going to fry!  
Hikaru (thinking): Do we mean so little to these people? ...Shinji...  
(The girl listens to the countdown with a half an ear. She focuses on her breathing and her control. She does that which she had perfected over the years...during the hard times she no longer remembers.)  
Hikaru (thinking): They care so little for us, yet we are the ones who must get our hands dirty...  
(Her violet eyes suddenly snap wide.)  
Hikaru: My God...!  
(Suddenly, it feels like her mind and body are ablaze. Every nerve screams, every joint burns...and Hikaru gives voice to her pain...)  
---------------------------------  
Maya (shouting over her shoulder): Unit 04's pilot can't take much more of this!  
Shigeru (calling frantically): The target is turning toward Unit 04!   
Misato: Asuka! Rei! Move out!  
-------------------------------  
(The Angel gazes a moment at Unit 04. The Evangelion had exploded from its concealment under camouflage canopies, wrapping its arms around its shoulders. The EVA is trembling, reacting to the agony that its pilot is feeling. The Angel's grin widens and it lowers itself casually into a crouch.)  
Asuka (wincing from her own rapid connection, shouting): Hikaru! Watch out!  
(Units 00 and 02 stagger toward the Angel and Unit 04. The Angel suddenly uncoils itself, spinning through the air, and slamming into Unit 04's chest plate. Hikaru gives a startled scream as her EVA falls to the ground. The Angel reaches down and grabs both of the downed Evangelion's arms by the wrist and begins to pull with all its might.)  
Hikaru (strained, trembling): UrrrGHH!!!  
------  
Hyuga (crying out): Unit 04's arm joints are at their maximum stress level! Its going to rip those arms off!  
Natasha: Hikaru! What is the condition of the pilot?!  
Maya: Her health meter is erratic! She's not going to make it!  
Natasha (growling): Can we eject the plug-  
Gendo: What are you doing, Lieutenant?  
Natasha (spinning on the Commander): I'm keeping my charge alive-  
Gendo: You are not authorized to eject the plug.  
Shigeru: Unit 02 has made contact...  
-----  
(The red EVA catches the Angel in a tackle, carrying it several hundred yards before it brings the two crashing into the ground. The Angel roars and its head snaps almost 180 degrees on its neck, glaring right into Unit 02's face.)  
Asuka (drawing back in shock): My God!  
(The Angel's elbow snaps out, catching Unit 02 in the temple, throwing it to the ground. The Angel rolls lazily back to its feet, starting toward the dazed Unit 02. The terrible creature draws back its foot and kicks the Evangelion savagely in the midsection. Asuka coughs, folding over in her seat with a jerk. She is shocked to see blood floating in the LCL before her face.)  
Misato: Asuka! Get up! It's gonna-  
(The Angel lifts a foot to crush the EVA's spinal column. An arm suddenly wraps around the Angel's neck and drags it away from the downed EVA.)  
Misato: All right, Rei!  
(Unit 00 shutters as the Angel tries to pull the arm away from its neck. Unit 00 suddenly steps over one of the Angel's legs and trips the Angel. Unit 00 slams the Angel's head into the asphalt of the country road. The Angel is silent for a moment and Unit 00 eases its grip on the creature's neck. Suddenly, the Angel grabs the hand on the back of its head and twists it viciously.)  
Rei (holding her wrist): ...arrgh!  
(The Angel rolls and back-fists the EVA, sending it falling back into the outdated telephone wires that line the road. The wires whine and snap like string under the deadweight of the EVA. The Angel slowly regains its feet, its eyes glowing as it begins toward Unit 00. A foot suddenly catches the Angel in the back of the head, causing it to stagger forward a few steps.)  
Natasha (softly): Good girl...   
(Unit 04 has finally regained its feet and is standing beside Unit 00. It is a little hunched over, giving the appearance that it is tired.)  
Hikaru (panting): Are you okay, Rei?  
Rei (shaking her head slowly): I...am not injured.  
Asuka: Okay, it is time to finish this...Rei, Hikaru, activate your AT Fields!  
(In the dark light of the night, the faint glow of the three EVAs' AT Fields shimmer around the mechas. The Angel slowly comes to its feet once more, its eyes blazing with unholy light.)  
Misato (softly): Okay, spread out, you three. Get the Angel trapped in between you.  
(The EVAs begin to move into position, keeping their eyes on the dangerous enemy between them.)  
Natasha (savagely): This is mad...  
(The Evangelions get to their positions and crouch down into defensive stances. Hikaru bites her lip. Rei stares at the Angel...searching. Asuka narrows her eyes. At some unseen signal, the three EVAs charge forward, their AT Fields ripping up the ground. The Angel suddenly straightens up and crosses its arms at the wrists before its face. Its horrible mask seems drink in the starlight from above. Each EVA was within touching distance of the Angel when it happens.)  
-------  
Shigeru (shouting): Massive AT Field surge detected!  
Misato: It's a trap!   
------  
(Too late, does Asuka realize what is happening. Suddenly, a part of her mind is screaming for her to stop. The Angel suddenly throws out its arms and the three EVAs are hit by an AT Field of the likes that they had never seen. The wall of raw power hits Unit 00 the hardest, taking huge plates of armor off the Evangelion. Rei's cry of pain is echoed by Asuka and Hikaru.)  
Asuka (as her EVA hit the ground): Damn it...!  
(Asuka tries to lift her head and she finds the black Angel looming over her. Something strange is happening to the Angel's hand. The inky coating is writhing and swimming. The Angel seems to grin as it reaches down. Asuka's scream echoes in her own ears as it seems like the flesh of her own neck is being penetrated and ripped apart.)  
-------  
Hyuga: Oh my God! Contamination detected in Unit 02!  
Misato: Asuka! What are the conditions of Unit 00 and 04?!   
Maya: Unit 00's pilot is silent. She's lost consciousness! Unit 04's pilot is conscious...but the EVA's power cable has been severed and its left knee joint has been damaged!  
(Asuka's hoarse scream comes again, threatening to drive the Major to her knees.)  
Misato (turning to Maya): ...Call up the UN. Inform them that we need a bomber flight immediately-  
Gendo: Ignore that order, Lieutenant. We will not be bombing the Angel.  
Misato (turning on the Commander): Sir-  
Gendo (his glasses flashing, calmly): The target is far too close to city.  
(The entire Command Center gawks at the Commander.)  
Misato (furious): Sir-!  
Asuka (her voice not even realizable anymore): ...Please...Shinji...  
(Misato spins back toward the view-screen and is shocked to see Unit 02's hand reaching up and touching the Angel's face.)  
--------  
(Tears are now coming as Asuka feels her consciousness leaving her. The Angel's insane eyes glare down at her and she feels something inside her break.)  
Asuka (softly): ...kill me...then.  
(The Angel becomes deathly still, then it savagely frees Unit 01's Progressive Knife. Its eyes flash as the knife is drawn back. It comes down-)  
--------------------------------  
Shinji (holding his head, wailing): NO! NO! NO!!!!  
Kaoru (calmly): I have not shown you anything that is false. You did every one of those things.  
Distant Voice: ...don-...listen-  
Kaoru: You did everything in your power to destroy Asuka Soryu... When she showed you kindness...you moved to strike her down. Why is that...  
Shinji (rocking himself): Asuka...oh God, what have I done?!  
(Images of Asuka flash through the boy's mind. Asuka angry. Asuka sad. Asuka happy. Asuka flirting...with him. Asuka kissing him...the first and second times. The first time: Just practice. Meaning nothing. Asuka ran into the next room to clean her mouth afterwards.)  
Shinji (shivering): Asuka...  
(The second time. Her lips gentle, her eyes...tender. Her hands holding his head. No fingers holding his nose shut.)  
Shinji: What...is my choice now...?  
Kaoru (sighing): Well, as you can see, you are incapable of going on by yourself. You are destroying yourself from within.   
Shinji: What do you suggest?  
Kaoru (leaning down, looking into the other boy's eyes): ...Join with me.  
-------------------------------  
Maya (standing suddenly): Ma'am! AT Field detected! It is getting strong!  
Ritsuko (turning away from the view screen): ...forgive me, Shinji... Maya, opened the vents...flood the room with the nerve gas.  
Maya: My God...ma'am-  
Ritsuko (looking over her shoulder violently): Now, Maya! Shinji...he's gone...  
Maya (after gazing at Ritsuko for a long moment): Yes...ma'am.  
(It is then that Ritsuko realizes that she is crying. She turns back to the view screen without wiping them away. Perhaps...it is the tears that remind her that she is human...)  
--------------------------------  
(Shinji reaches for Kaoru's hand and he can feel the power of the other. He will never be afraid again. He is to be strong. He will crush all that are in his way...)  
Shinji (blinking): "Crush all that are in my way...?"  
Voice: Don't listen to him!!  
Shinji: What?!  
Kaoru: Damn it! Join with me, Boy!  
(Shinji jerks away from the entity that claimed to be Kaoru. It is trembling now, its eyes burning with a hatred so powerful that Shinji is shocked he hadn't seen it before.)  
Shinji (his voice becoming stronger): What really happened?  
Kaoru (viciously): I didn't lie to you, Ikari! You did try to kill your teammates! You wanted to rip their hearts out!  
Voice: Wrong...you wanted to rip their hearts out!  
Shinji (gazing around himself): Who...?  
(An image: Small, outstretched hands...laughter, two figures...no, three. Two tall, one small. The small one running. Smiling...  
Voice: There is more...that you were never shown...  
Kaoru (screaming): NO!  
-------------------------------------  
(Two days ago)  
(Shinji Ikari opens his eyes slowly. He feels light...as if just awakening for the first time in a very long time. He is within EVA. He can see outside, but he feels no connection with the beast. He suddenly is seized by a horrible feeling of possession. He wraps his arms around himself.)  
Shinji: W-What's going on?!  
(A consciousness. He can feel it around him. It is terrible...angry, and hungry. It is filled with such brutal hatred that Shinji feels like he is being burnt by it. Suddenly he sees the red EVA before him.)  
Shinji: Asuka-  
(Unit 01 abruptly attacks and the boy screams out in warning and confusion. A hand, black and slick, wraps around the other EVA's neck.)  
Shinji (crying out): Stop it!  
(He can hear Asuka scream and he can see the inky coating on the Unit 01's hand start to ooze past the red EVA's armor.)  
Shinji (jerking the control handles): Oh please! Make it stop!  
Voice: For what?  
Shinji: What?  
Voice (cruel): What will you give me in exchange?  
(Asuka's hoarse cry comes again and Shinji grabs his head.)  
Shinji: Y-You have to stop!  
Voice: Why?  
Shinji: B-Because...Because Asuka...  
(Unit 02 reaches out and touches Unit 01's face. Shinji can feel Asuka. She is dying.)  
Asuka (weakly): ...kill me...then.  
(Shinji suddenly lets out a vicious roar and forces the connection with the EVA. He opens himself to everything...the Evangelion...the Angel. He feels the hilt of the Progressive Knife come to his hand and Shinji can feel the horrible blood thirst of the Angel.)  
(Shinji screams his battlecry and the blade leaps forward. Unit 01 slashes toward the red EVA's throat, but turns the blade a second before contact. Agony radiates up Shinji's arm, from his wrist. Unit 01's head throws back and it roars long and loud in pain. Shinji can see Unit 01's severed hand fall away from Unit 02's neck and he feels satisfaction deep inside himself even as he clenches his wrist.)  
Voice: And now?   
Shinji: ...  
Voice And now?  
Shinji: ...and now I will take Unit 01's place.  
(The back of the Evangelion opens with a small explosion and the plug fires away from Unit 01 on three tiny thrusters. The black matter of the Angel leaps away from the EVA and wraps around the plug...)  
--------------------------------------  
(Present)  
Shinji (standing before the entity): You aren't Kaoru. Kaoru died in the lowest level of NERV.   
Kaoru: There are things you do not know yet, Shinji Ikari. Horrible things. You believe yourself so righteous, but you humans are as bad as myself.  
Shinji (eyes narrowed): I find that hard to believe. Show me...Show me who you really are.  
(Kaoru smirks.)  
Kaoru: You don't like my present form?  
Shinji: You are not Kaoru. Kaoru might have been of your kind...but he was different. You care only about death and destruction. You only seek to satisfy your desires.   
Kaoru: Are we so different...you and I?  
Shinji: ...  
(A crack appears in Kaoru's face and Shinji backs away.)  
Kaoru: You should seek answers about your race, Shinji Ikari. It is quite fascinating...  
(Crack)  
Kaoru: Even now, they are attempting to kill you.  
(Crack, Crack)  
Kaoru: You will never live to see another day.  
Shinji (quietly): If that is how it is to be...  
Voice: You won't die...I will protect you.  
Shinji: ...?!  
Kaoru (suddenly furious): Damn you, First-  
--------  
Maya (stunned): Ma'am, a new AT Field detected within the containment chamber!  
(Ritsuko braces her hands on the control console of the chamber.)  
Ritsuko: Who the-?! ...!  
-------  
(The entity calling itself Kaoru, all pretense of serenity is gone, points over Shinji's shoulder, eyes blazing.)  
Kaoru: Traitor! Heretic! You don't even honor your own birth! Your own suffering!  
Voice: You will not hurt the Third Child.   
(The face of Kaoru shatters as does the rest of his body. The image of the country side vanishes in an instant. The true form of the Angel is a seething mass of darkness with a white, disk-like mask replacing Kaoru's face.)  
Entity: The boy is mine!  
Voice: No...he belongs to many...but not to you.   
(A pale, gentle hand reaches up and covers Shinji's eyes. The boy falls unconscious into waiting arms.)  
Entity (frantic): What have you done?!  
Rei (calmly, softly): I have just killed you.  
-----------------------------------  
Ritsuko (shouting): Stop the gas! Activate Level 5 Scrubbers!  
Maya (flicking several switches): Yes, ma'am!  
(Ritsuko turns away from the view screen and runs out of the chamber, ignoring the confused calls of Maya. She runs down the silent, metal corridor to the secure door guarding the containment chamber. Ritsuko enters her code into the keypad with trembling fingers and the door slides open. The light from behind her reveals Rei in her school uniform, kneeling on the floor. Shinji's head is resting in her lap. Her eyes are kind as she gently strokes the boy's hair from his forehead.)  
Ritsuko (shocked): R-Rei?!  
Rei: He...was in danger...but no longer. He is fine now.   
Ritsuko (sighing with a hand pressed to her heart): ...thank you.  
----------------------------------  
(Gendo Ikari is sitting in his office, his hands folded before his face as Fuyutsuki confronts him with this new information.)  
Fuyutsuki (deathly quiet): What was Rei doing the containment chamber, Ikari?  
Gendo: Why are you looking at me? I had nothing to do with it.  
Fuyutsuki: Somehow, it seems a little incredible for the girl to have been able to get within such a high security place without our knowledge.   
Gendo: Sometimes, it is best to leave good enough alone.  
Fuyutsuki (gazing at the Commander out of the corner of his eye): I see... I don't know if you care, but Dr. Akagi has given the boy a clean bill of health. He was a little quiet, but other than that, he seems to have come through this incident little worse for wear.  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki: Major Katsuragi was there the moment Dr. Akagi lifted the quarantine. She...really has become attached to the boy.  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki (turning toward the bay of windows behind Ikari): I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. At least we know that she will never betray us.  
Gendo: The Third Child seems to incite that in the females of the species.  
(Fuyutsuki blinks and looks over at Gendo.)  
Fuyutsuki (thinking): Like father, like son.  
Fuyutsuki: What now? You know that the Old Men will not sit still for this.  
Gendo: Who said that they would know?  
Fuyutsuki: ...! You have got to be joking! They will learn of this-  
(Gendo turning toward the bay of windows, gazes out at the Geo-Front.)  
Gendo: It really doesn't matter what the Old Men at Seele think right now. They are hardly a threat.  
Fuyutsuki: Arrogance, Ikari-  
Gendo: A fact, professor. With the Lance in our hands once more, there is little they can do-  
Fuyutsuki: What if they decide to do away with you?  
Gendo: That is not in question, anymore, Professor. All I am concerned with now is setting things right...  
Fuyutsuki: Your scenarios-  
Gendo: Are not as they used to be.   
Fuyutsuki: ...and of the Children?  
Gendo (glasses flashing): Have faith, professor. Some things might not be as clear as they were, but other things were taken care of a long time ago.  
Fuyutsuki (shaking his head slowly): ...I see.  
-------------------------------------------  
(Within the apartment of Lieutenant Natasha Karpov.)  
(The woman looks at the computer screen before her. The light from the monitor is the only illumination in the small room, making her face seem like a stark mask, a simplistic facade.)  
Natasha (gazing at the words she had written): ...  
(The Russian woman closes her eyes and again she can hear the sound of Hikaru screaming. Her finger wanders over to the Enter key, preparing to send in the...report.)  
Natasha (growling): The bastard will pay...  
(She hesitates.)  
(FLASHBACK: Misato walking out of the NERV Command Center, her walk slow, her eyes ancient.)  
Natasha: But can I do such a thing...? Can I...?  
(The Lieutenant looks down at the ring that flashes on her right hand. She grits her teeth and makes a fist.)  
Natasha (choked): ...what should I do...Ryo?  
-----------------------------------------------  
(A single car is alone on a road way leading toward the heart of Tokyo-3. Predawn light paints the sky in dark blues and purples. The headlights of the car reveal the cracks in the asphalt from almost a year of constant fighting with beings larger than some buildings.)  
Misato: ...  
(The silence is becoming unbearable for Misato Katsuragi. While Shinji seems to be all right, she doesn't like how he continues to gaze out the window of the car, not really seeing a thing. It reminds her too much of Rei...)  
Misato (softly): Shinji...  
(He makes a quiet sound of acknowledgment without turning to face her. Her hands tighten on the steering wheel of the car.)  
Misato: I think that you should give up piloting EVA.  
Shinji: ...no.  
(Misato gapes at Shinji. She had been expecting anything from shock to anger to confusion. But simple refusal had not been on her list of things to expect.)  
Misato: What?!  
Shinji (looking down at his hands): I can't do that, Misato. Piloting EVA is my duty.  
(Echoes of her dream caress the Major's mind, sending chills down her back. Shinji...she had come so close to losing him this time...)  
Misato (looking away from the boy): Shinji...if I lose you, I don't know what I would do.  
Shinji (quietly): I hope it won't ever come to that...  
Misato: But it can, as long as you do this!  
Shinji: What about Asuka? And Rei? And Hikaru? What about everyone at NERV?  
Misato: ...  
Shinji: Misato, I could never turn my back on any of you. I've tried running away from all this before. Every time I came back. This is where I belong. My place is here...with you.  
(Misato bites her lip and tries to focusing on the road rather than the rip-tide emotions warring within her.)  
Shinji (peeking around at the Major's face): You aren't going to try and send me away, are you?  
Misato (laughing a little wildly): As if I could. How could I send you away when you don't want to leave?  
Shinji (smiling a little): You could make it an order.  
(Misato laughs again.)  
Misato (looking over at Shinji): Maybe the better question is, how can I send you away when I don't want you to go?  
Shinji (his eyes widening): ...!  
Misato (fiercely, eyes turning to him): But if you ever go and get yourself killed...I-I will give you hell!  
Shinji (softly): It's...a promise, then.  
Misato (looking at the long road ahead of the two of them): Yeah...  
----------------------------------  
To Be Continued...  
  
Author's Notes:  
Okay, that was a different sort of chapter, I'll admit. It isn't everyday that almost an entire story is told as a Flashback! I borrowed the idea from Volume 1 of the original series and just elaborated on it.   
This Chapter was also a bit darker than most simply because of the setting and the fact that you are shown the after-effects before the actual event. This was how I wanted to do it so, well, I did it. (It's one of the few privileges that I get as the author!)   
"Hikaru comforting Asuka?!" Where did that come from?! As with every character in NGE, I tried to weave values and faults into my ACC (Author Created Character, for those of you who have never heard the term.) While Asuka represents a sort of obstacle to Hikaru, Ms Sohma is not one to let another suffer...she is able to see it far too well!   
One little detail that I don't know will make a difference or not. I have been trying to get pictures to go a long with a scene or feeling created by a passage and what-not. Those pics are extremely hard to come by, especially when I have an idea of what sort of picture I want in my head. If and when I get a scanner, I will most likely put my own original work on the site to communicate what I want. Whether it will ever happen is all a matter of funds and time. (Sigh) Oh, well, I got two on here and whether I have more in the future will depend on if I can find anything worth posting.  
As always, C&C is requested and appreciated! It kind of gives me a measure of how I'm doing!  
I would like to thank my pre-reader Axel Terizaki (author of Child of Love and several other great fics!) for all the input and ideas! (I would be stuck without them!)  
Chapter 6: "The Darkness Without/ Her First Kiss...Act One" is just on the horizon, so watch for it! Some teasers for you all: Classroom deceptions, a romantic interlude, and pilots' block! See you next time!   
  



	6. The Darkness Without

---------------------------  
The Characters and concept of Neon Genesis Evangelion are property of Gainax. I created this "scenario" in the spirit of the TV series. I made it in the hope that it would open up people's minds and give something to a series that really touched me. This little series that I have created is a piece of fan fiction thought up by yours truly, so if you are going to copy or distribute this work, please give credit where it is due, k? Now enjoy!  
----------------------------  
Evangelion: Step beyond the Abyss  
  
Chapter Six: The Darkness Without/ Her First Kiss...Act One  
By: N. T. Martin  
  
  
------------------------------------------  
Background:  
Okay, if for some reason or another, you have forgotten Chapter Five (you know who you are!) I'll try and bring you up to speed!   
It all began with Shinji being caught in a dark padded room, seemingly alone and naked. In response to the boy's confusion a Voice came to him and informed him that Shinji had tried to destroy all that was important to him and NERV had abandoned him to the darkness.  
As it turned out, during the most recent Angel attack, Unit 01 was absorbed by the Entity leaving the EVA team to believe the boy dead. Asuka was comforted by Hikaru that was somewhat shocking for the Second Child, while Rei felt the silent need of revenge.   
Unit 01 came back, but not in the form it had left. Possessed by the Angel, Unit 01 had been used as a tool of destruction against the remaining three EVAs. Through luck, skill, and the desire to protect those things and people that are most precious to the Third Child, Shinji had managed to spare his fellow teammates at the cost of his own body and mind.   
When all seemed lost, so far lost that Ritsuko set things into motion to kill Shinji, Rei appeared and destroyed the Angel, allowing Shinji Ikari to survive...  
----------------------------------------  
  
(The light of another day touches the modern-day fortress of Tokyo-3. While some are just returning home now from long shifts within the depths of NERV Central, others are just awakening...some quicker than others.)  
Pen-Pen (happily): Squaw! Squaw!  
(The wild sounds of the warm-water penguin makes a sleepy Shinji Ikari blink lazily as he pushes open his door.)  
Shinji (scratching his head): What the hell is he up to?  
(The boy walks slowly toward the kitchen, bent slightly over, not unlike an old man. His bare feet slap lightly against the apartment floor. Shinji looks around the kitchen and sees no Pen-Pen.)  
Pen-Pen (along with some clapping): Squaw! Squaw! Squaw!  
(The boy turns toward the main room of the apartment and walks into the daylight pouring in from the window behind the TV.)  
Shinji (confused): Pen-Pen?  
Pen-Pen (chiding): Squaw. Squaw!!  
(Shinji looks down and finds the penguin sitting on one of the large, sitting pillows in front of the TV. The small creature has a pair of VR goggles strapped over his eyes and sensors placed on his flippers.)  
Shinji: Pen-Pen! That is Asuka's!  
Pen-Pen (waving a flipper back at him): Squaw.  
Shinji (leaning down, peering at the penguin's face): Just how long have you been at that game?  
Pen-Pen: Squaw.  
Shinji: I'm sure that the designers of Fear Night VX didn't have penguins in mind when they made it.  
Pen-Pen (disgruntled): Squaw.  
Shinji: Did you get Asuka's permission before you started playing?  
Pen-Pen (hesitant): Squaw.  
Shinji (narrowing his eyes): Do you remember what had happened the last time you used her hair-dryer without her permission! Need I remind you that I get in trouble, too?  
(The penguin shrugs.)  
Shinji (snatching the VR goggles off the bird's head, snapping): Give me that!  
Asuka (growling, very softly): Shinji...what are you doing with my Gaming Navigator?  
(Shinji jumps and spins around to face the girl. She is still in her baggy, yellow night-shirt and her hair is sticking at strange angles around her head. Her hands are on her hips and she is leaning toward the Third Child. The boy follows the redhead's glare to the goggles and looks over his shoulder in time to see Pen-Pen scamper out of the TV room.)  
Shinji (turning quickly back to Asuka): I-It wasn't me! I-I would never use anything of yours-  
Asuka (her eyes blazing): My stuff's not good enough for the invincible Shinji Ikari?!  
Shinji (waving in hands in front of himself): I-I never said that! I-I...oh, crap...help!!  
(With that Shinji turns and bolts out of the TV room with Asuka hot on his tracks.)  
Asuka (shouting): You had better run, Third Child! I'll teach you to use something of mine without permission!!  
(The two Children rush by Misato Katsuragi's door. A second later, the Major opens the door, scratching her stomach through her loose shirt.)  
Misato (yawning): Good morning...is breakfast ready?  
(She blinks when she hears the water running in the bathroom, then shrugs.)  
Misato: I guess it's my turn-  
Asuka (calling from the bathroom): Misato, stay out of the kitchen! Baka Shinji is going to be making breakfast in a second!  
(The girl's words are accompanied by a series of violent splashes. Misato shrugs and pads toward the TV room. It is only a few minutes later when Asuka comes into the kitchen combing water out her hair with her fingers.)  
Misato: You're up early, Asuka.  
Asuka (thumbing over her shoulder): Blaming it on that dork! He walks around the apartment making enough racket that I'm shocked the neighbors don't complain!  
Misato (looking around Asuka's shoulder): Did you take a bath, Shinji?  
Shinji (toweling himself off): Not voluntarily, that's for sure.  
Misato (confused): What do you mean?  
(The Major sees Asuka cast a burning scowl in Shinji's direction and he quickly turns away to wring the hem of his shirt into the kitchen sink.)  
Shinji: N-Nevermind, it's not important.  
Misato (thoughtful): Hmmm.  
(Shinji begins moving around the kitchen efficiently while Asuka takes a seat at the table.)  
Asuka (picking up one of the beer cans from the table and tosses it toward the trash can): Hikari and I will be heading over to that new skin-care shop that just opened up after school. So, don't wait up, Misato.  
(A sly grin from Asuka.)  
Asuka (coyly): Do you want to come with, Ikari?   
Shinji (ducking his head at the mention of his name): Huh?  
(Asuka braces her elbows on the table and folds her hands in front of her. Leaning forward, she rests her chin on her hands, batting her vivid blue eyes at the Third Child. Shinji feels the color flooding his cheeks even before Asuka opens her mouth.)  
Asuka (sweetly): Don't you want to see how I keep my skin so soft and smooth?  
(Asuka lifts up her right arm and caresses it from the back of her hand to her biceps.)  
Asuka (her eyes flashing): Maybe I will even let you rub some lotion on me...  
Shinji (shuttering): I...ah...I-  
Asuka (grinning): Scared, Third Child? Afraid I'm too much woman for you?  
(Shinji blushes brightly while Misato sips calmly at her beer.)  
Shinji: I-I, well, that is...  
(Suddenly, he remembers and he closes his eyes against the coming storm.)  
Shinji: I-I'm taking Hikaru to the Museum of Traditional Arts-  
Asuka (outraged): You're WHAT?!  
Shinji: She asked-  
Asuka (hissing): When?  
Shinji: Yesterday. She said it's something she always wanted to see.  
(Shinji keeps his eyes closed. He doesn't want to see the strike that is sure to come.)  
Asuka (softly): I'm sure she did.  
Shinji: ...  
Asuka (sneering): And you were oh so ready to take her!  
Shinji (opening his eyes): Why not? She's my friend.  
(Asuka is stopped dead by that. She can feel the horrible rage building inside her and she wants to cut Shinji Ikari down.)  
Asuka (thinking): How dare you do this to me?!  
Asuka (snapping): Fine, then! Go on your date with that little bitch! You deserve each other!  
Shinji (taking a step toward Asuka): Asuka, don't call her names. It's not a date-  
Asuka (viciously): Liar! You are just like everyone else!!  
(Asuka spins away from a speechless Shinji and a frowning Misato.)  
Asuka (running out of the kitchen): I hate you, Shinji Ikari!  
(Shinji pales, but he stands silently as Asuka stomps through the apartment and slams her room's door behind her.)  
Misato (quietly): I'm sure she will be back to her normal self in an hour.   
Shinji: ...  
Misato (looking over at the Third Child): ...you really care about what she says-  
Shinji (turning away): Would you like another beer, Misato?  
Misato (after a long pause, gazing at Shinji's stiff shoulders): No thank you, I think I've had enough.  
Shinji: ...  
(The boy turns back to the sink and begins to make breakfast for three. Even as he does so, he knows one serving is going to be stored in the fridge for later...)  
--------------------------------------  
(Knocking)  
(Touji snoring)  
(More knocking)  
Touji (sleepily): Ugghh...go...away...  
Young voice (shouting through the door): Touji!! I'm not your answering service! You have a phone call!  
Touji (burying his face in his pillow): Tell them...to call back!  
Young voice (sly): Even if it's...Hikari?  
(The boy's eyes snap open.)  
Young voice (sighing regretfully): Oh well-  
Touji (jumping out of bed): Hidaka, don't you dare!  
(Touji's feet get caught up in his sheets and he falls face down on the floor. His little sister's giggling mocks him as she walks back toward the kitchen.)  
Touji (shouting): Hidaka! I swear to God I'm going to kill you if-  
(Touji throws open his door to find his little sister on the other side, a big, innocent smile on her face, a cordless phone in one hand, held out to him. The boy glares daggers at the pretty, dark-haired girl as he accepts the phone and eases it carefully to his ear.)  
Touji (nervously): H-Hello?  
Hikari (calmly): Touji?  
Touji (covering his eyes with a hand): Yes, Hikari?  
Hikari (shouting): If you even touch a hair on your precious sister's head, I will murder you!  
Touji (thinking): Hikari's been spending too much time with Asuka...  
Touji (laughing nervously): W-Well, I was just playing around...you know how siblings are...right?  
Hikari (skeptical): Humph!  
(Touji walks down the main hallway of the apartment, coming to the kitchen. Little Hidaka is standing on a stool in front of the stove, making the siblings' breakfast and lunch. She looks over her shoulder, her eyes sparkling with laughter. Touji scowls at the girl and turns toward the kitchen window next to the table.)  
Touji: Um...was there something you needed, Hikari?  
Hikari: ...well, I'm not sure if I want to ask, now that I know what sort of person you really are!  
Touji: Oh, come on, Hikari! I-  
Hidaka (calling over her shoulder): Hikari, please forgive my brother! He really needs someone like you to keep him in line!  
Hikari: ...!  
Touji (growling, covering the mouth-piece): Thanks a lot, Hidaka!  
Hidaka (her best cutie face on): No problem, big brother!  
Hikari (sighing): She's right, you know.  
Touji (collapsing into a chair at the kitchen table, groaning): Everyone is against me...  
Hikari: Hmmm, maybe I will take pity on you this one time.  
(Touji hears the softening of Hikari's voice and he whispers into the mouth-piece)  
Touji (softly): Please do.  
(There is a shocked silence on the other side of the line and Touji can almost picture that cute blush spreading across Hikari's cheeks.)  
Hikari (sighing as if it is a great effort): Oh, all right! Touji, I was calling to see if you wanted to walk me to school. I mean...if it isn't too much trouble...  
(Touji feels his heart pause and he closes his eyes.)  
Touji (quietly): Sure, Hikari, I'll see you in five minutes.  
Hikari (softly, but her voice obviously happy): Good...I'll be waiting!  
(Touji nods and looks out the window. A black car sitting in the street below his window catches the boy's attention. He frowns when the car suddenly revs its engine and quietly drives away.)  
Hikari (concerned over his sudden silence): Touji? Are you okay?  
Touji (looking after the car, slowly): I...I think so.  
----------------------------------  
(Shinji sighs as he walks slowly behind Asuka. The girl walks with a queen's pride ahead of the Third Child, refusing to even acknowledge his existence. It has been like this since they had left the apartment. Shinji is sure that Asuka won't have even taken her lunch if she didn't like going hungry midday.)  
Asuka (voice cool): What are you doing here, Wonder Girl?  
(Shinji's head snaps up and he finds Rei waiting at the corner of the intersection ahead of the two. The sunlight plays delicately over the girl's serene, eternal features, her crimson gaze settling on the Second and Third Children.)  
Rei: ...I do not wish to walk alone.  
Asuka (blinking): You don't?  
(Silence)  
Asuka (shrugging): Humph! Do as you please! I don't care!  
Rei: ...  
(The three Children walk in complete silence. The sounds of birds chirping and trains running seem unusually loud to Shinji. He isn't used to Asuka giving him the silent treatment. Normally, it is all he can do to have a few quiet moments with her around. But this time...this time he is finding the silence louder than the noise. After a few moments, the boy can't take it any longer.)  
Shinji (frustrated): What do you want me to do, Asuka?! Not go?!  
(Ahead, Asuka blinks and her breath hesitates. Then, her brows draw together, her pride hardening her.)  
Asuka: Rei, tell that idiot next to you that I'm not talking to him!  
(Rei looks at Shinji, then around him, confused. Asuka's growl of annoyance makes the First Child look at her again.)  
Asuka: I'm meant Shinji!  
Rei (turning her head to Shinji): Asuka says that she is not talking to you, Shinji.  
Shinji (face grim): Could you please tell Asuka that this is just a thing between friends! It is nothing to go wild about!   
Rei (turning her head toward the Second Child): Pilot Soryu, Shinji says that this thing is between friends. It is nothing to go wild about.  
Asuka (yelling over her shoulder): I don't care! Why should I care?! Tell baka Shinji that he can be with that bitch all he wants! I don't give a damn!  
Rei (to Shinji): She said-  
Shinji (quietly): You don't have to repeat it, Rei. I heard her.  
(Shinji gazes at Asuka for a long moment.)  
Shinji (softly): I don't want to hurt you, Asuka.  
(Asuka stops in the middle of the sidewalk and is completely silent. She suddenly turns on the First and Third Children.)  
Asuka: Rei, tell that dummkopf that I hate him! I wish he would just go away!  
Rei (continuing walking while the Second and Third Children are still): ...I cannot...  
Asuka (her fierce scowl turning from a stricken Shinji to a calm Rei): Why the Hell not?!  
Rei (pausing beside the redhead, softly): Because it is not true.  
Asuka: ...!  
(Rei returns her eyes to the sidewalk ahead of her and continues walking toward school, moving past a stunned Asuka without a sound. Asuka blinks and finds Shinji gazing at her. Asuka grits her teeth and stomps her foot.)  
Asuka (shouting): Don't look at me like that!!  
(With that said, the girl stalks across the street to the opposite sidewalk. There, she storms toward school, leaving Shinji alone. The breeze stirs the leaves overhead and finally Shinji speaks.)  
Shinji (sighing): I don't understand women.  
(With that said, he makes his way after two of the important women his life.)  
---------------------------------  
Seele (softly): I'm not sure if this was a wise use of the last sample...what if the Project is a failure?!  
Seele: We don't have that choice anymore. The woman has let emotions cloud her judgement. And we are running out of time.   
Seele: It is dangerous...what if we lose control, especially considering where this one came from-  
Seele: That possibility is one that just will not happen. The training was excellent.  
Seele: The subject is perfect.  
Seele: Still, there is the matter of the First. There are many similarities-  
Seele: This mission will get us the answers we need on that matter.  
Seele (cautious): What the Messager is detected? That is a very real possibility!  
Seele: The Messager understands. The tests have been countless. The results are before you.  
Seele: ...How the mighty have fallen-  
Seele (firm): We aren't finished by a long shot. This little...outing is sure to shake Ikari a little bit.  
Seele: We cannot go back now. This is the beginning of Man's Ultimate Destiny...  
----------------------------------------   
Touji (grinning): You dog...  
Kensuke (nodding, arms crossed, eyes closed): I respect your courage! I can't believe that you would have the nerve to rub Asuka's nose in it!  
Shinji (shaking his head): It's not like that at all! Hikaru just wanted to see the Museum! No one else has ever wanted to go with me-  
(The three boys are in the classroom. It hadn't taken long at all for Shinji's "date" to get around to all his classmates. The boy is positive that Asuka hasn't opened her mouth. It seems that she is taking this as an insult...for some reason. Shinji's brow furrows in thought as he tries to figure out who has leaked the "date" to his fellow students.)   
Touji (sly): You just keep telling yourself that, Ikari. Just be sure that you give us all the juicy details tomorrow!  
(Touji is sitting on top of the desk next to Shinji's, his grin almost savage. He still hasn't forgotten his bitter defeat at Asuka's hands in the Volleyball match. Kensuke is leaning against the desk beside Touji, a NERV VTOL craft model in his left hand, which he is now tapping against his thigh in thought.)  
Kensuke: Trust us, you are far better off with Hikaru! Who wants to be with a girl who can kick your ass?!  
Shinji (brows shooting up): What are you talking about?!  
Touji (stunned): You don't know?! My God, you are dense, Ikari!  
Shinji: ...?  
Kensuke (eyes wide behind his glasses): You mean you don't know that you and Asuka-  
Hikaru: Hi, Shinji!  
(All three boys jump, since they hadn't seen or heard the girl come up on them. Hikaru's hands are folded behind her back and she is leaning down, smiling into Shinji's face. Shinji blushes.)  
Shinji: H-Hi, Hikaru.  
(Hikaru looks into Shinji's eyes and the boy finds himself dazzled by the amazing shade of violet that is the girl's irises.)  
(Touji and Kensuke grin at each other like proud parents.)  
Asuka (growling): Well, isn't this a sweet scene!  
(Kensuke's and Touji's faces fall as they are surprised by the sudden appearance of Asuka. Shinji groans and lays his head down on the desk.)  
(Hikaru narrows her eyes and straightens to meet the Second Child's burning glare.)  
Hikaru (stiffly): What do you want?  
(Asuka grits her teeth.)  
Asuka: Don't take that attitude with me, Sixth Child! I am well aware of your kind! Don't think that you have won just yet!  
Hikaru (stiffly): "My kind?"  
Asuka (smirking darkly): Yeah, the loose kind, you slu-  
Hikari (calling from the front of the class): All rise!  
(The old, teacher is just making his less than grand entrance. If Hikari hadn't been watching for it, she would have missed it. She sighs in silent relief that the teacher's appearance, for once, has served some sort of purpose.)  
Asuka (glaring at Hikaru as she returns to her seat): We will finish this later, Sixth Child...  
Hikaru (her eyes flashing): I'm sure we will. I'll look forward to it!  
(Asuka snorts and bows with the rest of the class to the teacher, per instructions.)  
Shinji (his voice muffled, since he still has his face buried in his arms): Oh, God...  
-----------------------------------------  
Ritsuko: ...  
(Unit 01's eyes seem to be watching her...as they had been so long ago.)  
Ritsuko (quietly): We rebuild you again and again. When will it be enough? When will it be the last time.  
(The eyes are telling no tales. They seem cold, observant, as if watching a bug under glass.)  
Gendo: When it has served its purpose. That is when it will be enough, Dr. Akagi.  
(Ritsuko starts, having not heard the Commander come up behind her. She looks over her shoulder.)  
Ritsuko: When will that be?  
Gendo: ...you are full of questions today, aren't you?  
Ritsuko: Isn't it natural for a character to know when her chapter is over?  
Gendo (softly): A character...  
(The two are silent, the sounds of the EVA reconstruction echoing through the armored chamber.)  
Ritsuko (turning to Gendo): You always seem so in control, yet, I feel that things are not as they seem-  
Gendo: Things are moving forward, as they should.  
Ritsuko: But as they were planned?  
Gendo: ...  
Ritsuko (softly): Rei has changed, hasn't she?  
(Gendo lifts his head and gazes at Unit 01's grinning mask.)  
Ritsuko: That's why she can't synchronize with the Du-  
Gendo: There is...another.  
Ritsuko (her breath pausing): Another?!  
Gendo (his eyes hidden in the glare from his glasses): Yes.  
Ritsuko: You can't be serious! After what happened with Rei, you are willing to try again?!  
Gendo: ...it might be the only way that we can survive now.  
Ritsuko (quietly): I didn't think that was an issue anymore.  
Gendo: That man's evolution has come to an end? That we can go no further-  
Ritsuko (fierce): I never believed you on that point! The human being may be many things, but we have never stopped changing!  
(Silence.)  
Gendo (softly): You are the last person I would have thought to say that.  
Ritsuko: ...  
Gendo (sighing as he turned toward the exit): Perhaps...in the beginning that was true. But no longer. Unless a time comes soon when we no longer need the Evangelions, we will all pass from memory and a new Eden will grow in this place.  
(The door opens and closes behind the Commander. Ritsuko is once more alone. With a small shiver, she looks over her shoulder at the twisted vision of the EVA.)  
Ritsuko (quietly): Some savior...  
---------------------------------------------   
(Shinji doesn't know what to do. Asuka has that glint in her eye and Hikaru merely grins in return. It has been the source of cyber-chatter all day long. It is something that holds back the instant boredom the teacher's continuous, monotonic ramblings about the Second Impact. Yet, it is also something that is making Shinji Ikari sick to his stomach. He doesn't want anyone to get hurt over him. The very concept of such a thing seems ridiculous to the Third Child.)  
Shinji (bowing his head, sighing): ...  
(Suddenly, his laptop chimes and he looks up. He has a message.)  
To: S. Ikari  
From: H. Horaki  
"So, what are you going to do about this, Ikari?"  
(Shinji blinks and looks over his shoulder at Hikari. When he finds her glaring at him, he turns quickly back to his keyboard.)  
To: H. Horaki  
From: S. Ikari  
"What do you mean?"  
Hikari: "About Asuka and Hikaru! God, are you as dense as Asuka always says you are?!"  
Shinji: "No. What am I supposed to do about this?"  
(There is a long pause and finally, Hikari writes.)  
Hikari: "How about this. At the end of class, I will distract Asuka. In the meantime, you will get Hikaru OUT OF HERE! I've never seen Asuka so angry before."  
Shinji (sighing): "You don't live with her."  
Hikari: "Shinji! That's not nice!"  
Shinji: "But it can be the truth sometimes."  
(Pause.)  
Hikari: "Well, are we agreed then? Will you do this?"  
Shinji (nodding): "Yes. I don't want them hurt anymore than you do."  
(A very long pause.)  
Hikari: "I'm sorry, Shinji."  
Shinji (thinking): So am I.  
--------------  
Teacher (droning): That was when I saw the light. If I had looked at it any longer I'm sure I would have been blinded-  
(The last bell rang overhead, interrupting the teacher. He looks a bit confused by this, but then looks down at his students.)  
Teacher: I suppose this is all for today.   
(The old man stands and shuffles toward the door, unaware, as always, of the small celebration that erupts at the end of his lectures.)  
Asuka (standing up): About damned time-  
Hikari (loudly): Oh, there you are, Asuka!  
(Asuka blinks and looks over at her friend. The other girl is a little flushed in the cheeks and her eyes are very bright.)  
Asuka (confused): Hi, Hikari. What's up?  
Hikari (coming to stand in front of Asuka): I was just wondering about how we were going to get to the mall?  
Asuka (brows lifting): You are? Aren't you the one that pointed the place out to me?  
Hikari (rubbing her lower lip thoughtfully): Now that you mention it...  
Asuka (shaking her head): You're strange sometimes. Now if you will excuse me for a second-  
(Asuka looks around Hikari's shoulder and her eyes widen in shock. Hikaru's desk is empty; the girl is gone for the day. Asuka's suddenly furious gaze turns to Shinji's desk and finds the same. Asuka's eyes finally turn to Hikari.)  
Asuka (softly): What have you done..?  
Hikari (clasping her hands together in front of her): Please, Asuka, don't be mad! It is my duty to keep people from fighting-  
Asuka (snarling): Now that bitch has Shinji all to herself! Damn it!  
(Asuka grabs her bag and runs out of the classroom. Hikari only hopes that Shinji had enough time...)  
------------  
(Shinji looks over his shoulder at the school nervously.)  
Hikaru: Now, what is this about, Shinji? What was so important that you dragged me out of class, almost running the teacher down in the process?  
Shinji (nervously): Well, you see...  
Hikaru (looking down at Shinji's hand, which was wrapped around her wrist): I don't mind going anywhere with you, but I did have a thing to settle with Asuka-  
Shinji (sadly): Hikaru, I dragged you out here because...I didn't want you two fighting.  
Hikaru: ...!  
Shinji: I really don't like fighting, especially when it is over me. I don't want either of you to be hurt. Please...don't be angry.  
(Shinji comes to a halt when Hikaru stops walking. He doesn't look back at her, afraid of seeing fury in the girl's eyes. The shops lining the street around them are silent, despite the fact that they are all open. In the distance, somewhere, he can hear the sound of an airliner roaring toward some unknown destination.)  
Hikaru (softly): Shinji...  
(The girl walks around so that she can see his face. He looks up at her cautiously and finds her smiling brightly.)  
Hikaru: Of the two of us, you chose to sneak me out with you, rather than Asuka.  
Shinji (blinking): Huh?  
Hikaru (taking his hand gently between her own): You are so sweet. I don't like Asuka thinking I'm a coward, but I will deal with it for you.  
Shinji: ...!  
(Smiling serenely, Hikaru begins to tow Shinji in the direction of the Museum of Traditional Arts. After a few steps, Shinji falls in besides the Sixth Child. Hikaru grasps his hand intimately at the palm and walks closely to Shinji. After a few moments, Shinji looks over at Hikaru's pretty face. The girl is smiling happily and he feels the knot in his stomach loosen. He sighs and allows himself to relax next to her, enjoying the walk for the first time since they had left school.)  
------------------------------   
(A filled bath sits steaming before the blonde-haired Lieutenant.)  
Natasha (growling): We couldn't just have a shower, could we? Had to go full Japanese, didn't we? What I won't give for an apartment with a shower!  
(With a frustrated sound, Natasha slowly eases her lean, compact frame into the hot waters. She bites her lip to keep from howling. She has made her bath too hot...again!)  
Natasha (pouting): Stupid bathtubs...  
(FLASHBACK: Man's voice: But bathtubs are so much more personal! Intimate!  
Natasha (sighing): But I'm used to showers. I shower every day, not bathe!  
Man's voice (chuckling): Well, you had better get used to it. Plus...you can't put candles around a shower. You can't get...romantic in a shower...  
Natasha (giggling): Well...I guess there is an up side-  
(Present)  
Natasha: I hate baths!  
(She eases herself back and lays her head against the end of the tub. She turns her eyes to the pale ceiling over her and forces herself to relax in the heat.)  
Natasha (thinking): All's quiet on the front...what are the old men up to now?  
(Natasha reaches over and grabs a wash cloth from the side of the tub.)  
Natasha (thinking): They are so impatient. Eccentric.   
(An image of Gendo Ikari flashes in her mind.)  
Natasha (thinking): Dangerous. I've been getting sloppy.   
(FLASHBACK: Man's Voice: You are always so formal! So crisp! What, are you fresh out of military school?  
Natasha (embarrassed): I-It's my job, sir!   
Man: So, it's the uniform? What about when you are out of it? What are you like, then?  
Natasha (outraged): I-I'm sure that's none of your business!  
Man (chuckling): You are so fun to tease! You get the cutest blush that runs across your cheeks!  
Natasha: I don't believe I'm having this conversation!  
Man: You'll get used to it.  
Natasha (shocked): What?!  
Man (laughing): We have a long road ahead of us!  
Natasha: That's one thing we agree on!  
(Present)  
Natasha (quietly): He never knew when to quit... Damn him. I have too much of him living in my heart...my soul. It'll get me killed some day.  
(Suddenly, the woman growls.)  
Natasha (darkly): I always get this way in the bath!  
(She suddenly ducks her head under the water and begins soaping it up. Natasha comes to the surface with a gasp and red cheeks.)  
Natasha (shouting aloud): Enough, already! I have no clue how Hikaru can stand this for more than a few moments!  
(Natasha hops out of the bath and begins toweling off. Wrapping a towel around herself, she begins to make her way out of the bathroom. She pauses, however, when she sees that her ring is off. Turning back toward the bathtub, she sees it sitting on the rim of the tub. Sighing, she walks toward it and reaches out. Her fingers accidentally bump the eloquent ring and it falls into the tub, rolling toward the drain. With a shout, Natasha lunges for the ring. It dances through her fingers, bouncing off the steel of the drain.)  
Natasha (wailing): No!!  
(She stumbles into the tub again, banging her shoulder against the side. She grunts with pain, but her eyes never move from the spinning ring. Her hand snaps out just as it balances on the rim and slaps it against the bottom of the tub. Natasha's frantic breathing is the only sound in the bathroom as she gazes at the glittering ring resting beneath her fingers. With a trembling grasp, the woman picks up the ring and kisses it tenderly.)  
Natasha (softly, choked): I thought I lost you...  
(After a few seconds in her twisted state, Natasha pulls herself out of the tub and slides the ring carefully back onto her right, ring finger. She rubs her right shoulder ruefully as she glares at the bathtub, as if it is to blame for her pain. She finally turns with a snort and marches towards the main room.)   
Natasha: Damned thing...  
(Her eyes catch a glare from the red sun outside. She turns her head toward the computer sitting on a small desk in the kitchen.)  
Natasha (slowly): I've been lazy in my duties, but I have more to worry about now than just myself... Maybe, it's time to go back to work...  
----------------------------------------  
(The food-court is pretty crowded. People are laughing, talking, and calling to and at each other. The place is nice, with tables shaded by multi-colored umbrellas. The floor is made of weathered cobble-stones and it surrounded by a country-like, circular stone wall that comes to a person's waist. Children play balancing games and tag on the wall, giggling and shouting rare sounds of amusement within the boundaries of Tokyo-3.)  
Hikari (thinking): Now where is that girl?  
(The Class Representative looks at the crowds around her, trying to find a redhead in the crowd. It is pretty easy, since red hair is kind of rare in Japan. She hurries over to the Second Child, who has chosen to sit at a table under a big, sun umbrella near the edge of the court. She completely ignores the secret, admiring looks she gets from most of the guys in the area, content to stare at her can of green tea.)  
Hikari (setting her cup of instant noodles on the metal-linked table): Oh, come on, Asuka! How long are you going to be like that?!  
Asuka (quietly): I still can't believe you.  
Hikari (sitting down across from her friend): I couldn't have you splattering a fellow classmate's guts all over the room! How would that make me look?  
Asuka: It was none of your business, Hikari. It was between the Rookie and me.  
(Hikari sighs and breaks her chopsticks apart.)  
Hikari: What is it that she did?  
Asuka (looking up, blue fire appearing in her eyes): What do you mean?  
Hikari (sipping up a long noodle): Weren't you the one that told me, "I don't give a damn about that baka, Shinji! Why would I have any interest in that pervert?!"  
Asuka (grim): ...  
Hikari (peeking over at the Second Child): Have you ever told him?  
Asuka: ...?  
Hikari: About your...feelings?  
Asuka (sipping her tea, calmly): What feelings?  
Hikari (thinking): Was I wrong?  
Hikari: T-The feelings that you have for Ikari?  
Asuka (stirring her tea around with a flick of her wrist): Pure, unadulterated hatred?  
Hikari (sighing): Asuka....  
Asuka (looking away that Tokyo-3's bordering hillsides): I have no clue what you are talking about.  
Hikari (softly): And you wonder why he goes on a date with the other girl...  
Asuka (her eyes blazing to life): He's just like every other guy! A girl flashes him a smile and he heels like a goddamned dog!  
Hikari: ...have you given him any other option? You haven't exactly been nice to him-  
Asuka (taking a long gulp of her tea): Why should I?! So he can throw it back in my face?!  
Hikari (whispering): Have you ever given him a choice?   
Asuka (eyes snapping wide): A-A choice?  
(FLASHBACK: Hikaru (slowly shaking her head): ...he will have a choice.   
(Present)  
Asuka (thinking): She couldn't have meant that! But what if...  
Asuka (jumping to her feet): Hikari, where the hell is the Museum of Traditional Arts?!  
Hikari (grinning up at Asuka, thinking): Good girl...  
------------------------------------------  
(The Museum of Traditional Arts is located in a quiet district on the west part of Tokyo-3. Shinji and Hikaru walk slowly toward the large structure. Their eyes move over the simple eloquence of the museum grounds. The main gate that faces the street opens up into a well-kept garden. The building itself was done in a fashion that would remind one of an old fashioned Shinto Temple. Its sloping faded roof has seen better days. It hangs over the small, engawa [veranda] that wraps around the Museum building. The Cherry trees, that line the inner wall of the courtyard, are in bloom and their petals fall like tears to the ground. Shinji hears Hikaru sigh and he glances over at her.)  
Hikaru (her cheeks pink): Oh, don't mind me! This is just so...romantic!  
(Her eyes slant over to him.)  
Hikaru: Don't you think so...Third Child?  
Shinji (blushing, but trying to hide it): I-uh-well, um...yeah.  
Hikaru (laughing as she claps her hands before her): I knew you were a romantic!  
Shinji: ...  
(Hikaru catches his hand again and pulls him toward the entrance ahead of them. As they come closer to the doorway, they can see old, metal statues standing guard on either side. The two Children climb the old, wooden stairs quietly, since they sense that the place demands respect.)  
Hikaru (quietly, but her excitement bubbling): So, you've been here before?  
Shinji (looks over at narrow-eyed, cast-gold dragon standing beside the door): Yeah...it was a long time ago. Just around the time I first came to Tokyo-3.  
Hikaru (glancing over at Shinji, sensing a certain darkness gathering around the Third Child): Really? I didn't know that you had much free time on your hands when you first came. You had training and you had to get settled-  
Shinji (sliding open the door for Hikaru, sadly): It was after...the Fourth Angel attacked.  
(Hikaru blinks and remains silent, sensing there is more.)  
Shinji: E-Everyone expected so much of me! I...I couldn't take it...  
Hikaru (softly): You ran away.  
Shinji: ...yes.  
(The two Children walk down the main hallway. The corridor is dimly lit, except around the wall tapestries on display. Tiny, high-powered display lamps, hidden in the gloom of the ceiling- supports, glow down on beautiful, hand-made cloths. Some came from India, others came from China and Tibet. One particularly colorful tapestry catches young Ikari's eye. When he pauses besides the cloth, Hikaru stops as well and looks up at the artwork. It is a complex, twisting, sliding design of a Phoenix, screaming even as it is reborn in flames of red and gold.)  
Hikaru: But you've gotten past it. You are stronger than you were...  
Shinji (suddenly): Am I? Sometimes, I'm not so sure.  
Hikaru: ...  
Shinji: Sometimes, I'm scared as ever. I just want to get away from this place...and never look back.  
Hikaru (softly): You won't be human if you didn't feel afraid sometimes. We risk our lives often enough...  
Shinji (looking over at the Sixth Child): Hikaru...  
(The two of them continue into the reception area of the Museum. An old, gnarled man sits on a stool behind the simple, curving desk.)  
Shinji (tentatively): Um...excuse me?  
(Snoring)  
Shinji (taking a step toward the man): Excuse me?   
Hikaru (smiling at Shinji, as she reached around the old man's arm on the desk): Allow me.  
(With a quick flick of her wrist, she taps the bell on the desk. The old man almost falls of his stool at the sharp sound and blinks sleepily at the two Children before him.)  
Old man (dazed): Huh? What's going on here?  
(When the two continue to just stare at him, he scratches the back of his balding head and leans forward to get a better look at them.)  
Old man (his eyes widening): Oh! H-How can I help you?  
Shinji (reaching into his pocket for money): Er...we would like two passes, please.  
Old man (stunned): You would?   
(Silence)  
Old man (slapping the table): Well, of course, you would!   
Hikaru (smiling kindly): Business slow?  
Old man (sighing as he took Shinji's and Hikaru's admission fee from the boy): Yeah, not that there are many people in the area to begin with. It's my belief that people just don't want to remember how it used to be.  
Hikaru: Well, don't you worry. Shinji and I are a pair of romantics! We love this sort of thing!  
Shinji (blushing again): Hikaru!  
(Hikaru giggling.)  
(The old man grins in understanding.)  
Old man: Ah, to be young... Well, you two, take all the time you want. If you have any questions or need anything, just give a holler...or ding that bell again.  
Hikaru (winking at Shinji): You bet. Come on, Third Child.  
---------------------------------------  
(The halls of NERV Central can be unnaturally quiet at times. Misato looks about herself as she walks with Ritsuko.)  
Misato (softly): You know, sometimes, this place gives me the creeps.  
Ritsuko (looking down at her clipboard): Hmmm.  
Misato: I don't think it's natural for a place to be so quiet.  
Ritsuko: Go to a cemetery.  
(Silence)  
Misato (glancing over at her friend): Maybe that's the problem...  
Ritsuko (looking at Misato over the rims of her reading glasses): Yeah...  
(Silence)  
Misato (looking ahead again): So...you're positive?  
Ritsuko: That Shinji's all right? Yes, as impossible as it seems, once the Angel retreated, it retreated until it was nothing more than a mass of goo in the containment chamber.  
Misato (trying for a smile): "A mass of goo?" Is that a technical term?  
Ritsuko (sighing): I could give you a sample. It's like that stuff that you could to find in those antique lava lamps.  
(Misato chuckling)  
Misato: I'm not sure if you want to put that into your report.  
Ritsuko (tongue in cheek): Um, no.  
(Silence)  
Misato (a pair of double doors opens before the two of them, revealing two parallel, sliding tracks): It's hard to believe...such a thing almost killed Shinji.  
Ritsuko: ...  
Misato (looking over at Ritsuko): Something wrong?  
Ritsuko: ...  
(Misato opens her mouth, but something blue catches her eye. She turns her head and sees Rei sitting on one of the metal platforms that look over the tracks. The girl is engrossed in a schoolbook in front of her. She does not notice the two women below her.)  
Misato (waving a hand, calling): Hey! Rei! I've been looking for you!  
(Rei looks up and gazes down at the Major as she jogs over to the platform, leaving a bemused Ritsuko Akagi behind.)  
Rei (quietly): Then why didn't you call me on my cell-phone?  
(Misato pauses for a moment, confused by the girl's softly spoken question. Then she laughs.)  
Misato (waving the question away): Oh, it wasn't an emergency! Just something personal. I have something for you.  
Rei (confused): Something...for me?  
Misato (nodding as she pulls her purse around in front of her, a long, narrow, black box is sticking out of the top): I was in town the other day-  
Ritsuko (calling from the place where she had stepped off the track to wait for the Major): To buy more beer, no doubt!  
Misato (glaring over her shoulder at Ritsuko): You be quiet!  
(Ritsuko smiles smugly.)  
Misato (turning back to Rei): You see, I was walking along the sidewalk and this (pulling out the box) caught my eye!  
Rei: A...box?  
Misato (blinking): Huh?  
(She looks down, then laughs again.)  
Misato (shaking her head): Oh, no! It's what's inside that caught my eye!  
(Misato loops her purse back over her shoulder and opens the box carefully. Rei's eyes widen and a soft gasp escapes her lips. A long, delicate flute lays within, glowing in the chamber's light.)  
Misato (smiling up at Rei): You played so beautifully on Shigeru's guitar, that I thought you would like an instrument of your own. While you did great with the guitar, I think a flute is a lot more your...style!   
Rei (staring at the flute with a strange, dazzled look in her eyes): ...I have a style?  
Misato (nods as she takes the flute out of its case): Yes. You sometimes seem...very soft, almost fragile at times. A flute can reflect that. Yet, at other times, you show an indomitable spirit that makes others look on in awe... Flutes have also been known for making strong, beautiful music that doesn't easily fade from people's heart.   
Rei (faintly blushing): I...see.  
(Behind, Ritsuko sighs and shakes her head sadly.)  
Misato (extending the flute to Rei): Here, it's yours now.  
(Silence)  
Rei: I...I can't accept this.  
Misato (blinking, stunned): You can't?  
Rei: No...it can't be for me-  
Misato (her eyes flaring): Well, I'm not going to play it! It will just sit at my apartment and collect dust! I'm not the one with a gift for music!  
Rei (her eyes widening): A...gift?  
Misato: Yes! I once tried to learn how to play the clarinet. All I could make were a bunch of squeaks and honking noises!  
Ritsuko: I had the bleeding ears to prove it...  
Misato (growling): It wasn't that bad!  
Ritsuko (grinning): ...  
Rei: You can injure people with music?  
(Misato waving her hands in front of her.)  
Misato: No! No, it was a figure of speech, Rei. I was bad at playing...but I have a hunch that you would be able to play very...eloquently.  
Rei: ...  
Misato (smiling hopefully, raising the flute to the girl again): Please, take it. I got it for you. You can't turn down gifts, Rei.  
Rei: ...  
Misato: ...  
Rei: Okay. I will learn this.  
(Even as the girl's voice was steady, her fingers tremble slightly as they touch the cool metal of the instrument.)  
Misato (relieved): Good. I know that Shinji plays an instrument, too. If you have any questions, I'm sure he could answer them.  
Rei (blinking): Shinji?  
(Her fingers caress the flute in her lap.)  
Misato (nodding as she walked back toward the tracks): Yeah, from what Asuka said, he's good, too. I'll see you later, Rei! Have fun!  
(Misato gets back onto the tracks, leaving a wide-eyed Ritsuko behind.)  
Ritsuko (turning slowly toward Misato): I...don't believe it.  
(The two women vanish into the next chamber, leaving the First Child alone once more. The girl stares straight ahead for a long moment. Then her eyes look down at the silver instrument on her lap. Almost against her will, she lifts the flute to her lips and blows a practiced breath through the mouth-piece. The note that comes out is clear, gentle, and sweet. Rei pulls the instrument slowly away from her and looks down at it.)  
Rei (very softly): ...who?  
---------------------------------------   
(The picture before her is disturbing in a way that she can't quite explain. It is an extremely old painting from the Middle Age Europe. A man, with a halo of a Saint, is writing in a book, drawing from Divine Inspiration. The girl's eyes can't look away from the book.)  
Shinji (softly): I think if you stare any harder, you are going to burn a hole in that Saint's head.  
(Hikaru jumps and looks over at Shinji. Her eyes are vague for a moment and Shinji draws back slightly. She suddenly blinks and focuses on him.)  
Hikaru (embarrassed): Oh, sorry, did you say something?  
Shinji (shaking his head): N-Nothing, really. You just seemed...lost for a second there.  
Hikaru (turning back to the painting): Hmmm. Maybe I was.  
Shinji (brows lifting): Huh?  
(Silence)  
Hikaru (softly): This picture...specifically the picture of the book... I don't know. It reminds me of something. Something horrible.  
Shinji (looking from the picture to the girl's face): "Something horrible?"  
Hikaru (her eyes distant): Yeah, a dream. More of a nightmare, that plagues me night after night.  
Shinji: ...  
Hikaru (wrapping her arms around her shoulders): It...starts out normal... I am coming home, rather, to a place I have never been to, but I think "home" as I walk into the apartment. It is dark. My heart is racing for no reason whatsoever.   
Shinji: ...no reason...  
Hikaru (shuttering): I-I'm so...cold. I feel...dead inside...  
Shinji (his eyes widening): God...!  
Hikaru (her eyes turning to the picture once more): I...I walk though this place and I come to the kitchen. On the table, a single, leather-bound book is laying before me. I find myself...drawn to the book, almost as if I no longer control my body. I reach out and open the book. It is a picture album...a family picture album.   
Shinji (worried at the girl's intensity): Hikaru-  
Hikaru: I...turn the first page. A man, a woman, a young man, and me. They smile back at me. I turn the page. We are playing. We are picnicking. We are happy.   
(The girl reaches up and covers her mouth as if to stop the words, but they still come.)  
Hikaru: T-Then, I turn the page again and it feels moist to me. I look down and see blood on my fingers. At first, I think that I cut myself on the pages. Then, I realize that as the pages pass, blood begins to cover the paper, the words, the smiling faces... Soon, I can't see those precious...happy faces anymore... Oh, GOD!!  
(The girl grabs her head and whimpers as if in great pain.)  
Hikaru (hoarsely): God! Shinji, make them stop!  
Shinji (frightened): Hikaru!   
(He touches the girl's shoulder and she wraps her arms around his neck. A great sob comes from the girl and Shinji blinks in surprise.)  
Shinji (slowly stroking the back of Hikaru's head): I-It's okay, Hikaru. It's okay.  
Hikaru (softly): Why...?  
Shinji: ...?  
Hikaru: ...why did they have to vanish?  
Shinji (shaking his head): I don't know...I don't know, Hikaru...  
Hikaru (calming down a little): Please...take me out of this darkness...  
Shinji (nodding slowly as he put an arm around the girl's shoulders): Sure...come on.  
(The boy guides the Sixth Child through the Museum. The old man at the front desk is snoring again, his head resting on the desktop. The two ignore him as they move out the front door, into the sunlight.)  
Hikaru (slowly taking a deep breath): I'm...sorry.  
Shinji (looking cautiously at her): Are you okay now?  
Hikaru (smiling wanly): Just peachy...  
Shinji: ...  
Hikaru: Thanks.  
Shinji (blinking): For what?  
Hikaru (her eyes glittering as some of her fire came back): For being there.  
Shinji (smiling): That's what I'm here for...  
(Hikaru stares at Shinji and the wind sends more cherry blossoms fluttering to the ground.)  
Hikaru (slowly as her head turns to his): ...Shinji...  
(Shinji's eyes snap wide as he feels Hikaru's lips press to his. They are soft, gentle, and undemanding. He can almost feel the her gentle smile against his lips. His heart is racing, yet his hands are limp at his sides. The world is spinning out of control...)  
Asuka (choked): ...no...  
(The word is a feather thrown into a hurricane, yet it hits Shinji with enough force to jerk his head away from Hikaru's. His eyes turn and he sees the redheaded girl standing at the Museum gate. Her hair is windswept and her face is red from running. She looks so stylish in her denim jeans and cut-off T-shirt. Yet, her eyes are blazing with fury...and agony.)  
Shinji (thought echoing in his head): ...why...?  
(Hikaru turns her head slowly toward the Second Child and her eyes widen.)  
Shinji (thinking): ...why...?  
(Asuka closes her eyes and her hands tighten brutally at her sides.)  
Shinji (thinking): ...why does she...?  
(Asuka spins about suddenly and her bolts away from the two. Shinji feels as the Third Impact has just occurred, ripping meaning from everything that could...)  
Shinji (thinking): Why...?  
(And then, the voice, deep within him, whispers to him.)  
Internal Voice: Because you broke her heart...   
----------------------------------------------   
(Something is wrong. She can feel it. Beyond the static that has seemed to wrap around her mind, she can sense something is not right. That something is...she can't feel anything other than the static...)  
Asuka (opening her eyes, thinking): Where...is it?  
(There is silence around her and yet it seems like her mind is filled with white noise. She can't...concentrate.)  
(FLASHBACK: Shinji kissing Hikaru, her arms wrapped intimately around his neck.)  
(Asuka's hands tighten violently on the control handles before her.)  
Asuka (thinking): ...he...never...  
(She bows her head, feeling the darkness grow within her...)  
-------  
(Within a control center.)  
Ritsuko (quietly): We have a problem here.  
Misato (her eyes sad): I know...I see it.  
Ritsuko (looking slowly over her shoulder at Misato): What the hell happened? The last time she was like this...  
Misato: I know... She won't talk, but I have a feeling it has something to do with Shinji and Hikaru.  
Ritsuko (turning her eyes to the monitors once more): Hikaru is up higher than she has ever been. Shinji...well, he's a little higher than normal. But, Asuka, my God...  
Misato: How much longer is the test?  
Ritsuko (softly): Two and a half hours...but...  
Misato (firmly): You can't stop the test now. She will finish.  
Ritsuko (looking back at the Major with surprised eyes): Misato, she's not-  
Misato (grimly): She will finish the test or you take away what pride she has left.  
Ritsuko: ...understood.  
Misato (thinking): Asuka...  
-------------------------------------  
(Misato looks over at the girl. She is still in her plug suit, wearing it like a suit of armor. Her eyes are like chips of deep, blue ice. She looks so distant, yet, Misato knows somehow that it is merely the force of her will that maintains this mask.)  
Misato (quietly): You know-  
Asuka (distantly): Know what? That I can't synchronize? That I'm as useful as a normal person in the cockpit?  
Misato: Asuka...  
(Asuka spins away from Misato and closes her eyes. They are alone in the control center. The soft hum of the computers is the only sound for a second. Slowly, Asuka opens her eyes and she finds herself staring at her scores.)  
Asuka (thickly): ...21%...  
Misato (reaching toward the girl's shoulder): Those ratios can easily go up-  
Asuka (shrugging the kind hand away savagely, shouting): But I can't feel anything, Misato!!  
Misato (her hand falling back to her side): ...  
Asuka (pressing her palm to her eyes): ...I can't even...score high enough to move a finger on my EVA!  
Misato: Asuka...  
Asuka (screaming as she runs past Misato): It's so unfair!!  
(Misato looks from the girl's back to the scores.)  
Misato (softly): I'm sorry...  
---------  
(Shinji is stepping out of the men's locker room, shaking his wet hair out, when he sees Asuka running away from the control center.)  
Shinji (lifting a hand in greeting): Asuka-  
(She runs right past him, not even pausing at the mention of her name. Her rapid footfalls echo back at the boy who blinks in surprise.)  
Shinji (thinking): It's...like I'm not even here...  
Rei: She suffers...  
(Shinji looks over at the girl. She is in her school uniform once more, red eyes gazing after the Second Child.)  
Shinji: I...know.  
Rei (turning her crimson gaze toward the boy): ...shouldn't you do something?  
(Shinji bites his lip and looks from Rei to the direction Asuka had disappeared.)  
Shinji: W-What can I say?  
Rei (turning away and starting in the opposite direction): Perhaps nothing...perhaps everything...  
(Shinji stares after Rei as she begins walking away, then looks toward the direction of Asuka's flight once more.)  
Shinji (softly): Perhaps nothing...perhaps everything...  
(Shinji begins running after Asuka. He doesn't know which way the girl went, but he doesn't question himself as he heads for the EVA containment areas. The double doors slid open and he gazes within. At first he sees nothing, but the EVAs resting in great pools of LCL.)  
Shinji (thinking): Maybe I was wrong...  
(Then he spots the girl standing on the metal platform before Evangelion Unit 2. She is silent and doesn't turn toward him as he begins walking toward her.)  
Shinji (tentative): Asuka...?  
Asuka: ...  
Shinji: Asuka-  
Asuka (distantly): What do you want, Third Child?  
(Shinji's hand flexes at his side and he moves so that he can see Asuka's face. It is like a mask, cold and unrevealing. The eyes don't even turn toward him as he comes into view.)  
Shinji: A-Are you okay?  
(Asuka can't help the choking laugh that mocks the boy. His back stiffens slightly at the sound of it.)  
Asuka: Why won't I be, Ikari?  
Shinji (his brows drawing together): Y-You looked...hurt when you just ran by-  
Asuka: Is that any of your business?  
Shinji: Asuka, I'm your friend. If you are in trouble-  
Asuka (eyes caressing Unit 02): I don't remember ever calling you my friend.  
(Shinji makes a fist at his side.)  
Shinji (shouting): Stop being acting so tough and tell me what's wrong!  
Asuka: ...  
Shinji: ...please...  
Asuka (slowly turning toward Shinji, very quietly): You want to know what's wrong?  
(Shinji nods, unsure now. Asuka begins walking toward Shinji, her eyes blazing and her face pale.)  
Asuka: I just found out that my synchro-ratio is so low that I can't even synchronize with my EVA. On top of that, just a few hours ago, my "best" friend, tricked me and stuck her nose in business that had nothing to do with her...  
Shinji: I-  
Asuka (hissing, coming to a halt before Shinji): Finally, I come upon someone I thought cared for me kissing some other girl...it was such at romantic scene!  
Shinji (quietly, his eyes searching): W-Why would it matter to you...?  
(Asuka can no longer hold back the horrible anger within her. With a battle-cry that was more like a wail, she slaps Shinji across his face. He staggers against the guardrail at the edge of the platform, his face turned away, hand to his cheek.)  
Asuka (deathly quietly): How dare you?! You have no right to question me! I feel nothing for you, Shinji Ikari...not even hate!   
(She presses a hand to her heart.)  
Asuka (choked): I...feel...empty...inside...  
(She rips her eyes away from him and slowly walks out of the containment chamber. Shinji closes his eyes and bows his head over the rail...)  
---------------------------------------------  
(The Katsuragi Apartment is very quiet as night falls. Shinji sits at the kitchen table, quietly picks up his chopsticks, and begins to eat the instant noodles before him. The taste bites his tongue, but he doesn't notice.)  
Misato (softly): Shinji...don't you think that these noodles are a little...too spicy?  
Shinji (taking another bite): I don't know what you are talking about, Misato.  
Misato: ...  
(Pen-Pen waddles up and looks down at the noodle and curry mixture in his dish. He looks up at Shinji, who continues to eat Misato's cooking without turning belly up. The penguin slowly lowers his bill into the bowl and sips at the "food." His eyes snap open and he runs out of the room, heading for the bathroom.)  
Misato (looking from the frantic penguin to the solemn boy): Either you have suddenly seen the genius in my cooking skills...or something has happened.  
Shinji: ...  
Misato (speaking over the sound of Pen-Pen washing his mouth out): You don't have to tell me...I respect your privacy, but now Asuka's having problems...  
Shinji (quietly): I'm sorry...  
Misato: So it is your fault?  
Shinji: Somehow...it is...  
(Silence)  
Shinji: I-I never meant for any of this to happen... I can't...I can't do anything right.  
Misato: Shinji, you can't please everyone.  
Shinji (eyes wide, whispering angrily): I know that, Misato! It's just that...I don't want to hurt anyone...  
Misato (gazing solemnly at the Third Child): You are going to have to ask yourself what you want out of this, Shinji. No matter what, I can't make your decisions for you. When it all comes down to it, it is all up to you.  
Shinji (bowing his head): I...don't know if I'm up to that sort of decision.  
Misato (reaching out and covering one of his hands): Well, it's a decision you are going to have to make. The lives of two unique, proud, and determined girls depend on it.  
Shinji (looking up at Misato): I don't know if I trust myself with that...  
Misato (smiling sadly): I know you will do what is best.  
(Shinji looks up suddenly at Misato and gazes at her for a long moment. He finally sighs and stands up. He quietly walks to the refrigerator and takes out the fixings for a turkey sandwich. He makes it with silent skill and sets the finished product on a tray with a can of soda. Misato watches as the boy walks down the hall to stand before Asuka's door. The room has been silent since the girl had hidden away there. Shinji says nothing as he sets down the tray and knocks gently on the door. He doesn't wait for the reply that isn't to come. Instead, he turns, walks to his own room, and closes the door behind him.)  
Misato: ...  
(Pen-Pen finally comes back to the kitchen and glares up at Misato. She shakes her head and comes to her feet. She walks over to the refrigerator and gets out some leftovers from the party a few weeks ago. Pen-Pen eagerly walks over and begins downing the mixed rice, fish, and vegetables. She crosses her arms under her breasts and watches the penguin eat with relish.)  
Misato (whispering): What a mess...  
--------------------------------------------   
(It is sleek with a narrow pine-cone shape. It hovers over the small, blue planet below it, slowly moving toward the dark side. It has many small spines that coat the entire shell. They glint in the last of the sun's light. Almost lazily, the Entity comes to hover over the continent known as Japan. The lights of the major cities flicker across the landmass, pin-pointing the crowded human populations. It's focused only on one flickering beacon known as Tokyo-3.)  
(Silence)  
(Suddenly, a rainbow of lights ripple through the slits in the Entity's solid, outer shell and it begins to descend. It becomes one with the planet's shadow.)  
---------------------------------------------  
(Shinji comes awake with a start. His SDAT player is humming in his ears and his teeth ache. Why? Because he had a nightmare? One of many... He almost turns on his side to go back to sleep when he hears a sound over the music. He unplugs his ears and hears the phone ringing.)  
Shinji: What the hell...?  
(His eyes turn to the digital clock on his desk and it reads 2:14 A.M.)  
Shinji (thinking): Who could be calling at this time?  
(Suddenly, he feels the icy fingers of fear run over his skin and he sits upright in his bed. Just then, his door slides open and he finds himself staring at the silhouette of a young woman.)  
Asuka (tonelessly): You are needed at Headquarters, Third Child.  
Shinji (blinking): Asuka?  
Asuka: Who else?  
Misato (calling): Guys, it's time to go! We've got work to do!  
(Shinji can see Asuka's eyes close and he can see the pain on her face.)  
Shinji (hopping out of bed): Asuka-  
Asuka (bringing up a hand): Don't come near me, Ikari.  
(Shinji feels something much like anguish rise in him.)  
Shinji (pleading): Asuka, please-  
(Asuka turns away from Shinji and walks quickly down the hall. Shinji finds that he had actually reached out for the redheaded girl. He slowly draws the hand back and closes his eyes.)   
-------------------------------------------  
Misato (shouting as she enters the Command Center): Status Report!  
Hyuga (turning to the Major): I've got one target, coming in fast from the upper atmosphere!   
Misato (eyes wide): Dive bombing-  
Ritsuko (coming up beside the Major): No, it hardly has enough mass to do much damage to us that way.  
Misato: Then, what is it doing?  
Natasha (gazing up at the video feed of the target): I would say it was giving us our wake-up call.  
Misato (grim): Some wake-up call. Okay, how much time to contact?  
Maya: At its current speed, I would say in about five minutes!  
Misato (nodding): All right. Do we have a predicted LZ for our visitor?  
Shigeru: The MAGI report that it is most likely going to land right over our heads.  
Misato: Well, at least it is to the point. Okay, let's get our people out there. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go home and get some sleep!  
(Natasha gazes solemnly at Misato's back for a long moment before she peels away from the shadows and slips out the door.)   
-----------------------------------------  
(Asuka comes out of the women's locker room slowly, almost as an old woman would. The light is gone from her eyes and her hair hangs limply about her face. It is silent in the corridor, save the hum of life-support systems and unseen vents. Asuka closes her eyes and she can see Hikaru again, as she had been in the locker room. The girl had suited up swiftly, her lips pressed tightly together. Asuka had sat on the bench, staring at the concrete beneath her feet.)  
(FLASHBACK: Hikaru (softly): Asuka...you mustn't be this way-  
Asuka (whispering): Don't you have a job to do?  
Hikaru (balling a fist over her heart): Please, don't... It doesn't have to end like this-  
Asuka: You planned it all along. You came, you saw, you conquered. How does it feel, to destroy another?  
Hikaru (wiping her eyes discreetly with the back of her hand): I-I know how much EVA means to you-  
Asuka (sighing): Just leave...  
Hikaru: Asuka-  
Asuka: ...nothing you can say will set things right...  
Hikaru (closing her eyes): ...I'm sorry...  
(The girl quickly walks from the room, her hand pressed to her lips.)  
Asuka (choked): ...I don't need your pity...  
(Present)  
(The redheaded pilot finally comes to the elevator that would take her to the loading platform for the Evangelions. The doors slide open, revealing the open, metal elevator and Asuka enters without looking up.)  
Rei: You should not do this.  
(Asuka gasps and spins toward the corner where the First Child is standing in her plug suit.)  
Asuka (growling): What do you want?  
Rei: ...a moment of your time...  
Asuka: Leave me alone. Shinji set you up to this, didn't he?!  
Rei: No.  
Asuka (turning her head away): There's nothing you can say, First Child.   
Rei: ...  
Asuka: Take a good look. This is what a betrayed woman looks like...  
Rei: Why do you care?  
Asuka (looking sharply at Ayanami): What?!  
Rei: Why do you care that Pilot Sohma kissed Shinji?  
(Asuka opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. Those red eyes watch her and Asuka notices something she had never seen before.)  
Asuka: How...?  
Rei: ...?  
Asuka: What is happening to you?  
Rei: ...  
Asuka: The Rei I know would never be here...  
Rei: ...yes.  
Asuka (tossing her head): It doesn't matter. You are still Wonder Girl. You still have no emotions...you don't give a damn...about anything...  
(Asuka curses herself as she can feel the tears coming again, threatening to make her break down right in front of her. The elevator stops without Asuka noticing. Rei finally moves for the door, but not before she gently brushes Asuka's shoulder with her fingertips and walks on.)  
Asuka (blinking): ...!  
(Asuka reaches up and touches her shoulder.)  
Asuka (softly): ...who are you?  
----------------------------------------  
(The object hovers over Tokyo-3, silent. If it isn't for the fact that such things are supposed to be impossible, it could be said that the creature looks natural hanging in the sky.)  
Misato: Is there any activity?  
Shigeru (reporting): No, Major. There is no activity of any sort.  
Misato: So...how is it just sitting there? With no propulsion, it should fall to the ground like every other natural thing!  
Ritsuko (sighing): Well, that's where the Angels peel off from everything else...they aren't exactly natural.  
Misato: Ah...  
Maya (calling): EVAs 00, 01, and 04 are ready for launch, Major!  
Misato (turning back to the matter at hand): Right! Launch EVAs!  
(The floors lightly trembles as the powerful catapults rocket the three active EVAs toward the surface.)  
Maya (looking cautiously over her shoulder): Um...ma'am?  
Misato (turning her cool eyes toward the Lieutenant): Yes, Lieutenant?  
Maya (quietly): Asuka's plug has been inserted...  
Misato: ...any change?  
Maya: No, ma'am. The connection is just above non-existent...  
Misato: I...see. Put Unit 02 on...standby.  
Maya (sadly): Yes, ma'am.  
(Misato closes her eyes and tries to block out the knowledge that she is merely stalling...)  
--------------------------------------   
(The Evangelions rise out of the earth quietly, slowly moving through the city toward the Entity. Unit 01 stalks with its body flush against a tall skyscraper. Shinji glances to his left and finds himself staring into a little boy's room. It is vacant now, but the toy robots are scattered about on the floor and the bed's sheets are thrown back.)  
Shinji (blinking, thinking): People...live here...  
(The concept has never really hit Shinji until now. Unit 01 pauses mid-step and looks silently about it. It sees offices, kitchens, and more bedrooms in the windows about it.)   
Shinji (thinking): Why are they up here? It's almost like they are...shielding us!  
Misato (sharply): Shinji, what are you doing?!  
Shinji (blinking, turns to Misato's terrified face): What-?!  
Hikaru (shouting): It's moving!!  
(Shinji looks up and finds that he had maneuvered Unit 01 right into the middle of highway. Right before him, the ominous shape of the Angel is gliding toward him.)  
Shinji (stunned): ...!  
(A rainbow of colors pulsates through the gaps in the Angel's armor and suddenly one of the barbs on the creature's shell springs forward on a slender, guiding tentacle.)  
Shinji (horrified): Agh!  
(Unit 01 stumbles back off the highway and falls a story down to land on its rump. The barb hits the asphalt with enough force to collapse the center of the highway.)  
Hikaru (calling): Shinji! Are you okay?!  
Shinji (pulling Unit 01 to its feet): Y-Yeah...  
Misato (frantic): Don't just stand there! Move to a better position, Shinji!   
(Just then, the shadow of the Angel falls over Shinji and he backs Unit 01 around into a side street.)  
Shinji (panting): It's...fast!  
(The Angel glides so it gains sight of Unit 01 once more. The light flickers through the Angel's massive frame when it is pelted from behind by an assault rifle.)  
Hikaru (shouting): Stop picking on Shinji, you bastard!  
(The Angel pauses in mid-air, then three barbs fire from the main body. Unit 04 drops the assault rifle and draws its twin Progressive Blades a second before the projections reach it. The Blades defect the barbs and their respective guide "tentacles" with a singing scream. The barbs angle off into the buildings on either side of Unit 04, crumbling the faces of the structures.)  
Hikaru (straining to hold off the unexpected power of the Angel, growling): I won't...back down...from you!  
(The Angel is silent as it seems to study the red and black trembling EVA before it. Then, with an action that seems almost contemptuous, it retracts its barbs violently and catches Unit 04's Blades in the process. Hikaru lets out a startled scream as her EVA is thrown recklessly off balance and tumbles forward, toward the Angel.)  
Misato: Hikaru, are you okay?  
Hikaru (bringing Unit 04 to its feet again): I'm okay...  
Misato: Rei! Are you ready, yet?!  
Rei: Yes, ma'am.  
(Unit 04 turns its head toward Unit 00's beacon and finds the Evangelion standing on top of a building, the NERV Positron Rifle in its grip. Hikaru can almost feel the attention of the Angel shift from her to Rei a second before Unit 00 fires the Rifle. The beam rips from the Rifle and lights of the streets of Tokyo-3 like it is day once more. The Angel's AT Field buzzes as the beam hits it, then passes through it. The Angel shivers at its shell is struck by the beam, leaving a smoking wound on its surface.)  
Hikaru (confused, her violet eyes narrowed): Cockiness...?  
(Suddenly, the Angel spins a quick full circle and Unit 04 staggers back...)  
-------------  
Hyuga (shouting): Major! We have a problem!  
Misato (turning her eyes to Hyuga): What is it?  
Hyuga (bringing up a hologram of the Angel on the Threat Board just beyond the Command Towers): The Angel has just cast three separate AT Fields about it! Unit 00 will not be able to reach the Angel again with the Positron Rifle with those three AT Fields up!  
(The hologram revealed the logic behind Hyuga's words. The Angel's pod-like body is surrounded by three individual AT Fields that wrapped around the Entity like a closed rosebud.)  
Misato: Okay, heads up, guys!  
-----------  
(The three Evangelions surround the Angel. Unit 04 is on the street level, gazing up at the Angel, while Unit 01 is back on the highway and Unit 00 is still on the rooftops.)  
Shinji: I'm open to suggestions.  
Ritsuko (her face appearing besides the Third Child's): You might be able to attack the Angel if you three use your respective AT Fields to neutralize the Entity's! Rei was able to get through the first time.  
Hikaru (distantly): ...because it believed us...incapable...  
Misato (sharply): Are you saying that the Angel is toying with us, Hikaru?  
Hikaru (grimly): I won't leave that idea out...  
Misato (firmly): Well, we are about to show it just how capable we are! Neutralize those AT Fields!  
Shinji, Hikaru, and Rei: Roger!  
(The three Evangelions brace themselves on their own levels and focus on that certain something that generates the AT Fields. The Angel becomes deathly still as the AT Fields clash, then begin to join...)  
-----------  
Shigeru (shouting): Activity!!  
Misato: Look out!  
-----------  
(Shinji opens his eyes just in time to see it happen. The Angel's attention seems to be focused on him all of a sudden, then...a barb peels off from the main body. Shinji screams and raises a hand to shield Unit 01's face. His scream echoes when he feels a burst of incredible agony radiate from his right palm. He is only dimly aware of his Evangelion being propelled back into the building behind it.)  
Shinji (straining to look over to his right hand, gritting his teeth): urrrgh....  
(His eyes snap wide as he looks outside at Unit 01's hand. It has been pinned to the building behind it. His mind can't seem to understand that it isn't his hand that has been staked to the wall behind his EVA.)  
Hikaru (screaming): Shinji!!  
(Shinji looks up in time to see the second barb come, and pin his EVA's left shoulder to the building.)  
Shinji (screaming): ARRGGH!!  
(He doesn't see the third...or four...or fifth barbs coming, but he feels them...)  
----------------------------------  
(Asuka had flinched at the first scream from the Third Child. The second seems to make some wall within her shiver.)   
Asuka (thinking): I-I shouldn't care...  
(Screaming)  
Asuka (thinking): He-He means nothing to me! He runs to that other girl without looking back! He leaves me behind without some much as a-a goodbye!  
Voice: Who left who behind?  
Asuka (whispering hoarsely): What does it matter?! He no longer...cares...  
(FLASHBACK: Rei: Why do you care?)  
Asuka: ...he can't...  
(FLASHBACK: Asuka (bringing up a hand): Don't come near me, Ikari.  
(Shinji feels something much like anguish rise in him.)  
Shinji (pleading): Asuka, please-)  
Voice: You walked away...when he reached out to you...  
Asuka (trembling): I-I can't risk it again! I can't!  
Voice: So you will let him die?  
Asuka: I...  
(Shinji screams again and it sounds as if something has been broken.)  
(FLASHBACK: Rei: Why do you care?)  
Voice: Why?  
(Asuka blinks and suddenly she sees something in her mind's eye...something that had happened a week ago...after the "Incident"...)  
(FLASHBACK: The night sky is clear of clouds now. Stars glow overhead like so many diamonds spilled against a black canvas. The storm has long since passed. Asuka is on the balcony of the Katsuragi apartment. Tokyo-3 is silent now and Asuka feels that if she were to think, it would be like speaking aloud. The world seems to be listening to her...and she doesn't have a thing to say.)  
(Asuka leans her elbows against the railing of the balcony and gazes at the street below. Her eyes are attracted to some movement and she sees night insects playing about the solitary street-lamp under her.)  
Asuka (thinking): They are drawn to the very thing that can kill them? They are so stupid...  
(Silence)  
Asuka (thinking): Are we so different? We never can leave...good enough alone. We continue to hunger and explore even if it means our deaths...  
(There is a soft creak behind the girl and she jumps. Shinji had been stepping out onto the balcony, but stops when he sees the girl. Asuka turns so her back is to the railing.)  
Shinji (very softly): I...I didn't know you were out here... Sorry...  
Asuka (when Shinji turns to leave): Where are you going?  
Shinji (not looking at Asuka): Back to my room...I'm sure you want your privacy.  
Asuka (wrapping her hands around the railing on either side of her): When did I say that?  
(Shinji blinks, but can't bring himself to look at her.)  
Asuka (quietly): I couldn't sleep, so I came out here...  
(She turns her face into the light, summer's night breeze, letting it play with her fiery hair.)  
Shinji (his face lost in the shadows): Asuka...I...  
Asuka: You know...when I was in Germany, I hated all the quiet. The countryside was beautiful, perhaps, but the constant silence couldn't cover up...the damned silence... That's probably why I make so much noise when I should just shut up.  
Shinji: ...  
Asuka (facing Shinji once more): That's why I laugh, shout, scream...cry...when most would remain silent.   
(Asuka closes her eyes and again she can see that which had driven her to the balcony. A black, grinning mask sneering down at her...sucking her life away...)  
Asuka (softly): ...even now...the silence threatens to...overwhelm me...  
Shinji: Asuka...  
Asuka (fiercely): That's why I can't understand you, Third Child. You are always so quiet! Why should I give a damn...  
(Asuka opens her mouth and can't make that last part come...it is too much...   
Shinji: Asuka...  
Asuka (turning blazing eyes toward Shinji): What?!  
(She is shocked to see him smiling for the first time since he had come back.)  
Shinji: You can make as much noise as you want...I don't mind. Okay?  
(Asuka blinks and stares at Shinji.)  
Shinji (shaking his head, then yawning): Well, good-night. Don't stay up too late...you don't want me to have to come into your room, like last time, and wake you up...  
Asuka (grinning): Jerk.  
(Shinji flashes a weak smile at her, turns about, and walks back into the apartment. Asuka is alone again, but she is no longer gripping the railing so hard.)  
Asuka (quietly): Welcome home...  
(Present)  
Voice: Why do you care?  
Asuka (wrapping her arms around herself): ...  
Voice: Why?  
(Asuka grabs her head.)  
Voice: WHY?!  
(The answer comes suddenly...brutally...)  
Asuka (throwing her head back, screaming): BECAUSE HE'S MINE!!! YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM FROM ME!!!  
(That is when Unit 02 comes back to life...)  
---------------------------------------  
Maya: Major!  
Misato (deathly quiet, her eyes on the image of Unit 01): What is it?  
Maya: Unit 02 has reactivated! Pilot Soryu is registering at 91%!!  
Misato (gasping): What did you say?! Asuka! Can you hear me?  
Asuka (quietly): Launch me...  
Misato: Are you sure-  
Asuka (hoarsely): He's dying!  
(Misato closes her eyes and mentally whispers a pray to a God that she isn't even sure exists anymore. Then...)   
Misato (shouting): EVA launch!  
-------------------------------------------  
(Hikaru can feel her heart breaking every time she hears another one of Shinji's screams. Unit 04 charges toward the highway and a barb swings down at her Evangelion. Unit 04 brings up one of its blades in time to block the killing blow.)  
Hikaru (savagely): Goddamn it!!  
(Suddenly, she feels the tell-tale shutter of a new arrival.)  
Hikaru (gasping as she looks up at the red Evangelion snapping into place at one of the launch tracks): Asuka?!  
(The EVA grabs the assault rifle that had snapped up on the track next to the mecha.)  
Asuka (growling): You bastard...  
(The assault rifle rattles in the EVA's hands as tracers fly toward the torturing guide "cables." The super-heated shells spray the "cables." The Angel shutters and the barbs retract from the slumping Unit 01.)  
Asuka: Shinji! Can you hear me, Third Child?!  
Shinji (his face appearing next to hers, smiling very weakly): ...I thought...you didn't...care...  
(Asuka gapes at him and she feels a warm glow light within her.)  
Asuka (thinking): Something...to fight for...  
Asuka (forcing herself to remain composed): Can you go on?  
Shinji (softly): I'm...not dead...yet...  
(The Angel seems to be watching them all, waiting for them.)  
Misato: Shinji...are you okay?  
Shinji: I can...do my duty, Misato...  
Misato (pressing her lips tightly together): I'm...glad...  
Hikaru: We have to finish this...now!  
Asuka (straightening in her seat): On that, we agree, Sixth Child.  
Hikaru: ...Asuka...  
Asuka: ...I have a plan.  
----------------------------------  
(The Evangelions move away from the Angel and it seems confused by this. It remains where it is, but it raises higher into the air as they become more distant.)  
Ritsuko: It is a sound idea, but you will be putting yourself at great risk. How can you be so sure that this will work?  
Asuka: My woman's intuition, of course.  
Ritsuko (skeptical): Ha...  
Shinji: But if we don't get the AT Fields down-  
Asuka (glaring at Shinji's image): I'm counting on you, Third Child, to make this work!  
Hikaru: Is that fair, with his injuries?  
Asuka (her pause was almost non-existent): He has been through worse.  
Hikaru: ...  
Misato: Okay, it's a workable plan...now is our time to shine!  
--------------------------------  
(The three dust trails appear at opposite corners of Tokyo-3. The Angel lowers itself slowly and waits, its AT Fields shimmering around it. Units 00, 01, and 04 appear in opposing streets from the Angel, sprinting at their best speeds toward the target.)  
(The Angel waits.)  
(The EVAs continue coming, never slowing down even as they near their target. The Angel reacts violently to the Evangelions' obvious insanity. The barbs are launched at random, destroying buildings and streets in seconds.)  
(The EVAs dodge around the projections that rip up the world around them, splashing them with dirt, shattered asphalt, and twisted metal.)  
Hikaru (screaming): I will not be stopped!  
(Her EVA slams into the AT Field with enough force to blow windows in. The Field wavers before the mad rush of Unit 04. Unit 01 hits a second later, hitting the Angel with enough force to make the Angel sway in the sky. Unit 00's strike is enough to push the Angel into a nearby building, showering the EVAs with yet more glass.)  
Misato (shouting): Now!  
  
  
(As one, the three EVAs draw their Progressive blades and slab them into the gabs in the Entity's armor. Pure energy splashes across the EVAs, sending arcs of electricity washing across powerful arms and torsos.)  
Hikaru (wincing, thinking): I hope Soryu knows what she's doing!  
(The Angel suddenly screeches and the bottom end of the creature comes to rest in the cracked asphalt of the street.)  
Misato: Go, Asuka!  
Asuka (nodding): Right!  
(From behind a building several blocks away, Unit 02 skids around the corner and begins charging the Angel at full tilt. As Unit 02 comes within range of the Angel, it starts to take giant, hopping steps like a long-jumper.)  
Asuka (shouting): Shinji!  
(Unit 01 slams its palm against the hilt of its embedded Progressive Knife and turns on its heel. Shinji grits his teeth against the painful bio-feedback from his EVA, but he pushes that away from his mind. His eyes are only for the red EVA heading for him.)  
Shinji (thinking): Please...!  
(Unit 01 meets Unit 02 half-way and plants its feet wide, bracing itself. It then cups its hands between its bent knees.)  
(The Angel seems to finally realize what is about to happen and fires two barbs at the purple and red Evangelions. The barbs strike, filling the street with gray dust, concealing the two EVAs.)  
(The world seems to pause for a second...)  
(Then, suddenly, the red EVA breaks free of the cloud of dust, rising high above the Angel. From a concealed launcher, a giant javelin leaps to the EVA's waiting hand.)  
Asuka (screaming): Go back to where you came from!!  
(The javelin slid through the weakened AT Fields and hit the Angel dead center, where the plates of armor connected. There is a crunch deep within the Angel and it seems stricken into silence. Unit 02 lands in a crouch on the other side of the Entity with its back to the Angel...it is no longer a threat. A second later, the southern district of Tokyo-3 is lit up as the Angel explodes, taking five city blocks with it.)  
---------------------------------  
(A silent shadow watches the destruction of the Angel with passionless eyes. Those eyes blink when the Angel explodes into a globe of fire, then turns away. Soft footsteps start for the access hatch of NERV Central...)  
----------------------------------  
(Natasha feels a shutter ripple through the modern stronghold of NERV Central and she knows that she will not have that much more time.)  
Natasha (pausing as she gazes at the endless hall before her): ...  
(Natasha pushes aside childish fears and continues silently through the level known as Terminal Dogma to the select few.)  
Natasha (grinning cynically, thinking): All in the name of security. All in the name of power, more like it. The faces change but the ideals remain the same...thus, people like...me are born everyday.   
(The Russian woman comes to the hard copy chamber door. This is the place that is much like NERV's personal diary. Every sin, every acknowledged mistake, is recorded here. It is almost amusing to the Lieutenant that the fate of the world really rests in a mere few hundred written files.)  
Natasha (grimly, thinking): Let's get this shadow business over and done with.  
(Her thumb brushes across her right ring finger and it takes her a moment to remember the reason she had taken her ring off.)  
Natasha (looking down at her right hand, thinking): No traces, no remains... So why does it feel like someone is walking across my grave?  
(The Lieutenant pushes away the strange, disquieting feeling and pulls the dummy card out of her pants' pocket. She swipes it through the card slot and the device chimes softly in the deafening quiet. Wincing, Natasha opens the door and steps inside the darkened room.)  
(Within, she looks around and finds rows and rows of file cabinets. Some things remain the same even after all the advances in technology...or perhaps the Supreme Commander was just paranoid. As Natasha begins to move into the chamber, something catches her eye.)  
Natasha (whispering in the silence): An cracked open drawer...  
(Suddenly, the room seems to be filled with a tension that make the hairs on the back of Natasha's neck stand up.)  
(Movement within the darkness.)  
Natasha (mouth dry): Who-  
(A slender, compact form appears around the corner of one of the file cabinets. The face is lost in the gloom. The two gaze at each other. In the woman's eyes, shock and fear. In the intruder's eyes, curiosity and cold calculation.)  
Natasha (forcing her voice stronger): Who are-  
(A small, curved knife seems to materialize in the intruder's hand.)  
Natasha (growling): What is a boy doing down here?!  
(The boy cocks his head to one side, as if trying to understand the question. Then,)  
Boy: Death...  
Natasha (eyes snapping wide): What-  
(He moves so fast, she doesn't even see it coming. One second he was across the room, the next, he is right in her face...so close she can feel his warm breath fanning across her cheeks. With a shocked cough, Natasha feels the small knife bury itself in her stomach.)  
Natasha (her eyes gazing into his): ...red eyes...?  
Boy (quiet): Death...  
Natasha (gritting her teeth as she feels the floor spin around her): You...little...bastard!  
(Her hand comes up and back-fists the boy hard enough to throw him against the cabinets with a loud boom. He never let go of the knife. Natasha presses a hand to her stomach and staggers to the door. She can feel him following her, but he seems...intrigued by her refusal to collapse in a heap on the floor. Distantly, she can hear the drops of blood...her blood, dripping on the metal tiles, but she doesn't care. She...has to get to....Hikaru...one more...time...)  
(The boy follows silently, almost companionably...waiting...)  
--------------------------------------  
(The EVAs are lowered into their restraint harasses and the Children are unloaded from their plugs. Shinji limps on the catwalk, still feeling the effects of his encounter with the Angel.)  
Asuka (sighing): Did you think I couldn't do it?  
(Shinji looks up and finds Asuka standing before him, her hands on her hips, feet braced apart...her arrogance back along with her spirit.)  
Shinji: I-I never said you couldn't-  
Asuka (tossing her head): Well, don't be getting any ideas about this.  
Shinji (confused): What ideas? What do you mean?  
Hikaru: Yeah, what do you mean?  
Asuka (turning on the other girl): You are probably thinking that you are hot stuff because you think you kissed Shinji under my nose!  
Hikaru (surprised by the sudden change of subject, blushing): I-I never-  
Asuka (shrugging as if no big deal): Humph...as I thought. Well, I'll have you know that I have kissed Shinji twice now!   
Hikaru (her eyes burning as they turned on Shinji): What?!   
Shinji (holding his hands up): Now wait a second-  
Asuka: Children are so naive...  
Hikaru: Naive?! If you are so close to Shinji, then how come you never went to the Museum with Shinji?  
Asuka: He never as-  
(Asuka could have bitten her tongue for almost revealing a weakness to her mortal enemy.)  
Asuka (turning her gaze to her nails): Because, such things are beneath me.  
Hikaru (grinning): Maybe you are just too much of a tom-boy to be interested in romantic things as art and-  
Asuka (shouting): A "tom-boy?!" You bitch! A tom-boy, with this figure-?  
Hikaru (shouting back): I have a far better...  
(Shinji blocks the rest out as he limps out of the EVA containment chamber. Rei, who obviously had more sense than he, left when the argument first began. Shinji pauses a moment at the corridor leading to the Command Center, but he can't summon up the strength at the moment to head in that direction. He is tired and right now, all he wants to some place to sit down and relax.)  
Shinji: ...  
(He comes to a bench in front of a pair of venting machines. He automatically reaches for pockets that don't exist on his plug suit and he sighs. He lays down on the bench. He doesn't want to think, hear, or see anything. He closes his eyes and lets the droning hum of the venting machines clear his mind of shock and grief. The last thing he wants to think about is violence...or blood.)  
(Dip...Dip...Dip...)  
(The sound seems to be getting closer, even as Shinji tries to block it out. It doesn't sound like water...or even soda dripping on the floor. It has more body...more thickness that makes the sound...different and deeply penetrating. Shinji sighs, frustrated, and reluctantly opens his eyes. His eyes are slow to understand was they are seeing, but suddenly it all makes sense.)  
Shinji (stunned): My...God...  
(Lieutenant Karpov is staggering toward Shinji, her right hand slick with her own blood. A long trail of the thick liquid traces the Lieutenant's path behind her. Her face is pale and her eyes don't seem to recognize him.)  
Natasha (very softly, reaching weakly for Shinji): ...help...help...please...  
Shinji: Lieutenant-  
(Suddenly, there is a warping, humming sound that flows through and past Shinji. The air seems to be dragged from his lungs and the venting machines quiver beside the Third Child.)  
Shinji (blinking wildly, thickly): W-What the hell-  
(The machines explode as the lights overhead shatter and crackle. The boy cries out as he is thrown from the bench and lands heavily on his side. Natasha is knocked against the opposite wall, unable to move on further. Her eyes are on him and finally,)  
Natasha: Ikari...help...me...  
(Shinji pulls himself to his feet and staggers over to the woman's side. He takes her arm and pulls it over his shoulders. Her weight almost drags the boy to the floor, but he adjusts her against his side and is able to support her. Then,)  
Shinji: W-Who-  
Boy: Death...  
(The word, single and understandable, seems to freeze the air between them. The boy is standing down the hall, watching Shinji and Natasha. Shinji can't see his face except for the rare moments when an arc of electricity flashes from the ruined lights and only then is it a brief outline of the boy's delicate features. Dim back-lighting from down the hall make it impossible to see any real markings or styles on the boy's clothes.)  
Shinji (shouting): Who are you?! Why did you do this?!  
(Natasha's head is now hanging down, her body is dead weight against Shinji's.)  
Boy: Death-  
Shinji (screaming): No! You can't!  
Boy: ...  
Shinji: ...please...  
Boy (softly): Why...?  
Shinji (blinks): ...because I asked you to?  
Boy: ...  
(Suddenly, the boy begins moving toward Shinji and Natasha. Shinji grits his teeth and staggers back a step. The boy doesn't stop until he arm's length from the Third Child. Shinji feels a whimper in the back of his throat, but he forces it deep down and away. If he is about to die, then let it be with a little pride remaining...if nothing else he has that. His arm tightens around Natasha and she murmurs weakly.)  
Shinji (whispering): ...I'm sorry...  
(The hanging wires snap overhead.)  
---------------------------------------------  
To Be Continued...   
  
Author's Notes:  
Okay, that was a long one...sorry. There were just some things that I had to get out and there seemed to be no other way of getting it done.   
For some of you, I know that this ending is a little annoying, especially since it ends with a cliffhanger. Does Shinji live? Does Natasha bleed to death in his arms? What about the boy that seems to intent on killing? Well, you are going to have to wait until Chapter Seven for the answers to those question! I'm not going to apologize for that.  
There are a few issues I should probably go over for those of you still scratching your heads.   
One, Hikaru and Shinji kissing...hmmm. Okay, I'm sure there are Asuka fans out there who are now hungry for my blood. I mean, how dare I?! Let me see...because it's my story? I'm going to say this now, I am an NGE fan. I love all the characters because of their depth and faults. They feel real, so they can stand on their own! I added Hikaru because she plays an important role in SBTA and I will treat her like another NGE character. She is the counterpoint to Asuka's fierce, aggressive nature. She also allows Shinji to be somewhat himself around someone else. I will not be rewriting this Chapter unless I feel there is something more that needs to be done. I make no apologies. I am not forcing you to read my work (though I do like having it read!) For those of you willing to give me a chance, then I thank you and hope that I will not let you down at the end! For those of you who cannot get past Chapter Six, then there are other fanfics out on the Net that will be more to your taste...  
(My, my, what a rant! Well, on with the rest of my Author's Notes!)  
Two, the scene with Rei and Misato and the concept of Rei's musical ability will be coming up again. It is a part of the story line, just like most other things that pop up and seem like totally random spots of detail to you all.   
Three, during Asuka's period "pilot block," (a creation of my own brief encounter with the writer's form of it?) she had a flashback of a time when she was standing out on the balcony, staring out at Tokyo-3. It might not be that clear, but that scene occurred about a day after the end of Chapter Five. "How did Asuka react to Shinji return?" was a question I got some time back. Well, there you are. It was also a scene that revealed another side to the Asuka/Shinji relationship...  
As for the mysterious boy that appeared in the depths of Terminal Dogma...well, it would appear that Seele is pushing toward the last chapter of the Dead Sea Scrolls... The death bell is tolling and it is all a matter of if the puppet is going to obey his masters' strings...  
God, that was a little cryptic!   
Now then, I would like to thank my two prereaders, Axel Terizaki and Adam Rosz, for all the input and advice!   
Finally, "Chapter Seven: Square One, Dangerous Game..." is being pounded out as we speak, so watch for it! The now standard teasers: A past relived, a mysterious summons, and the shot of a gun...   



	7. Square One

-----------------------------------  
  
The Characters and concept of Neon Genesis Evangelion are property of Gainax. I created this "scenario" in the spirit of the TV series. I made it in the hope that it would open up people's minds and give something to a series that really touched me. This little series that I have created is a piece of fan fiction thought up by yours truly, so if you are going to copy or distribute this work, please give credit where it is due, k? Now enjoy!  
-----------------------------------  
  
Evangelion: Step beyond the Abyss  
  
Chapter Seven: Square One/ Dangerous Games  
By: N. T. Martin  
  
-----------------------------------  
Background:  
If you are one who forgets the past easily, let me see if I can catch you up on what has happened in Chapter Six!  
Things exploded in the Katsuragi apartment when Asuka found out that Shinji was going out on a "date" with Hikaru to a local museum. Despite Shinji's claims that it was only a friendly outing, Asuka didn't believe him.  
At school, things went from bad to worse when Asuka insulted Hikaru, creating a potentially dangerous situation. Due to Hikari's quick thinking and Shinji's concern for both girls, the Third Child managed to sneak Hikaru out of the school without Asuka realizing until it was too late.  
While Shinji was sure that Hikaru would be furious with him, he was surprised that the Sixth Child believed him sweet for choosing to steal her away. They went to the Museum of Traditional Arts and the trip was uneventful.  
That is, until Hikaru found herself remembering a horrible nightmare that has been haunting her for some time. Shinji's kindness shines through once more and is there for the Sixth Child. Asuka makes it to the museum in time to find Hikaru kissing Shinji.   
This is a devastating blow to Asuka's ego and heart. Torn, the Second Child runs away. The terrible shock did more than simply hurt Asuka's spirit, it also blocked her as a pilot. Before she can even begin to deal with this loss, another Angel attacks.   
With the Second Child unable to function as an EVA pilot, Misato puts Unit 02 on stand-by and sends the other Children up to do combat with this new enemy. Shinji suffered a vicious attack by the Angel while the other Children are held helpless by the Angel's power. Asuka's "Pilot Block" was broken and the EVA team was victorious once again.  
However, Natasha, realizing that she had let her "obligations" to Seele go for too long, moved to take information to them. That is, until she is savagely attacked by a young boy in Terminal Dogma.   
Last chapter ended with Shinji holding an unconscious Natasha in his arms, waiting for death dealt from this mysterious boy...   
-------------------------------------  
Hikaru (thinking): Another attack...another recovery period...  
(The girl has her chin braced on her palm and she gazing out the open window at Tokyo-3. Her violet eyes are drawn to the twisted cityscape to her left. Five city blocks...gone, never to be the same again. Sure, they would repair it to make them as good as new, but they would never truly be the same. Personal objects and landmarks were wiped from the face of the planet, never to appear in the same form again.)  
Hikaru (thinking): Yet, people remain here. We continue to fight, people continue to get hurt, the world turns on. Something about that seems...chilling.  
(The girl sighs and leans away from the windowsill. Her eyes turn to the tray sitting on the kitchen table.)  
Hikaru (muttering): I shouldn't...have given in. This isn't healthy.   
(The object of the girl's observation is the plate of scrambled eggs with grated, melted cheese, a generous serving of sausage, and two slices of crispy toast, drenched in butter. It was the Lieutenant's favorite breakfast, but that didn't mean that the girl had to make it for her...)  
Hikaru (choked): Oh...Ms Natasha...what happened...?  
(The girl picks up the tray and walks slowly down the hallway, toward the Lieutenant's room.)  
(FLASHBACK: Misato (softly): I'm sorry, Hikaru...I-  
Hikaru (suddenly gripped with horrible fear): W-What happened?!  
Misato (taking the girl's arm): There was...an attack...  
(Present)  
Hikaru: That told me...nothing... Who...who would do such a thing?!  
(FLASHBACK: Shinji: I-I hope she's going to be okay...  
Hikaru (throwing her arms around Shinji): Why?! Oh, God, if she dies...  
Shinji (gently, stroking the back of her head): She won't. She's too stubborn for such a thing...  
(Present)  
Hikaru (brushing at her cheeks, realizing that tears were coming again): He was such a sweetie...Shinji...  
(The girl comes to Natasha's door and opens it without knocking. She doesn't want to wake the injured woman. Upon refusing to remain in the hospital more than a day, the doctor had given Natasha a small bottle of pain-killers. At first, the Lieutenant had refused to take even those, but when Hikaru had begged, pleaded, and threatened, the woman had finally given in...but not without something that still haunts Hikaru...)  
(FLASHBACK: Natasha (her eyes dim, but desperate): Please...don't leave me...Hikaru...  
Hikaru (stroking the Lieutenant's hair back from her face, laughing): Where would I go?   
Natasha (softly, grabbing the girl's hand): Promise me...promise...  
Hikaru (blinking, becoming concerned): Sure...I promise.  
Natasha (her eyes rolling back): Thank...you...  
(Present)  
(The girl shrugs the strange mood of Natasha off to a side-effect of the pain-killers. She has never known Natasha to be so...clingy.)  
(Hikaru comes into Natasha's room and finds the Lieutenant with her head thrown back, snoring loudly. Hikaru shakes her head.)  
Hikaru (whispering, giggling): So...unfeminine...  
(The girl kneels down beside the woman and sets the tray down next to her. Hikaru's eyes see something in the Lieutenant's hand and she frowns.)  
Hikaru (thinking, reaching out slowly): It looks like a...photo...  
(Hikaru grabs the edge of the photo gently and tries to pull it away from the woman. Natasha's grip resists the girl's efforts for a moment, then the photo comes free.)  
Hikaru (frowning at the Lieutenant): What was so important-  
(Her eyes turn to the photo and she feels like the world has opened under her feet to swallow her whole.)  
(Two smiling faces.)  
(Woman blushing)  
(Man laughing)  
(One uniform. One lab-coat.)  
(Two faces too familiar...)  
Hikaru (choked): ...no...  
Natasha (blinking, confused): ...what...where...  
Hikaru (shivering): No...  
Natasha (turning her face toward the girl): What...Hikaru...?  
Hikaru (screaming): WHY DO YOU HAVE A PICTURE OF YOU AND MY BROTHER?!!  
(Natasha gasps and finds the picture clenched in the girl's trembling hand.)  
Natasha (reaching for the girl): Hikaru...let me explain-  
Hikaru (leaping away from the hand): No! No explanations!! None! Leave me alone!  
(The Sixth Child spins away from Natasha and tears out of the room, the photo fluttering to the floor in her wake.)  
Natasha (dragging herself to her feet, growling in pain): ...no...come back...  
(The door of the apartment slams in response.)  
-----------------------------------  
(Darkness shadowed by light. A single thought leads to others and soon consciousness emerges.)  
(Thinking): Silence...horrible silence...  
I see people...those people again.   
Male.   
Female.  
I see fear. I sense it.  
They fear me.  
Why...   
Why...?  
These people...they build weapons...  
Am I a weapon?  
Who am I?   
What am I?  
(Eyes turn and study the container about its form. Solid, tinted, and clear, the entity is trapped within a cylinder of super-reinforced plastic.)  
(Thinking): Those who created me now fear me.   
Amusement.  
Bewilderment.  
....who am I?  
-------------------------------------   
(He can hear a roaring in his ears.)  
Misato: Shinji, there's nothing that could be done.  
Blood.  
(He feels lightheaded. He opens his eyes and looks around. EVA. The ground is burning, sending walls of fire high into the sky.)  
Gendo: The world will continue on with or without you.  
Tears.  
(There are people screaming at him. Scolding...no, warning him. Warning him...)  
Asuka (whispering): You can't hold out forever on your own... Who is blocking out whom now?!  
FEAR.  
(Its shape is twisted...humanoid...or a mockery of it. It has Eyes!)  
...move...  
(Blades...sharper than he can imagine... Rising... The blades are rising...)   
Move.  
(Screaming...he is screaming... The beast before him is making a horrible sound. Is it laughing...? The blades arc down, hungry for blood...)  
MOVE!  
(A shadow. Another. ...no...)  
Misato (choked): ...I'm...sorry...Shinji...  
...sacrifice...  
Shinji (screaming): NO!!!  
----------  
(Shinji comes awake suddenly, violently. With the echoes of the nightmare still in his head, he is horrified when his eyes snap open and he finds himself looking into a face close to his surrounded by more red...)  
Shinji (wailing): Oh God!  
Asuka (shouting, falling backwards to the floor): Damn it!  
(Shinji blinks and looks down at the floor. Asuka is staring up at him in shock.)  
Shinji (bewildered): What-  
Asuka (hissing): What the hell was that for?!  
Shinji (blinking): S-Sorry! I-  
Asuka (rolling to her feet, glaring at Shinji as she adjusts her uniform's skirt): You didn't peek, did you?  
Shinji (blushing): Of course not!  
Asuka (leaning down, growling): And what does that mean?!  
Shinji (seeing the angry flush in the Second Child's cheeks): I-It means...um...  
Asuka (grinning with a lot of teeth): ...Yes?  
Shinji (hopping out of bed): ...um...I've got to make breakfast!  
Asuka (looking down as he passes): Good excuse...?!  
(There is a moment of silence as Asuka just stares.)  
Shinji (pausing, turning his back to her): Uh...Asuka?  
Asuka (her cheeks burning): Y-Yes?  
Shinji (quietly): Can I get some privacy here?  
(Asuka stands there gaping at Shinji for a full second. She can't stop blushing.)  
Asuka (fisting her hands): Oh, sure! I am nice enough to wake you up and you kick me out of your room! Well, fine! See if I ever do anything nice for you again!  
(Asuka pushes past Shinji and stomps out of his room. She stops at the doorway and spins on her heel so she is glaring right into Shinji's surprised face.)  
Asuka (her eyes locked with his): Don't take too long, Third Child! I do not intend on going to school on an empty stomach!  
(With that, Asuka slams Shinji's door with all her might for good measure. Asuka is silent for a moment as she listens to the sounds of Shinji getting dressed. Then, she turns and stalks toward the kitchen, her face grim.)  
Asuka (thinking): He had better not have been dreaming about her!  
---------------------------------------  
(Within the inner sanctum of Gendo Ikari, a battle of different sorts is taking place.)  
Fuyutsuki (quietly): What do you intend on doing? No matter how...secure you may feel, you can not ignore this.  
Gendo (gazing at the older man over his folded hands): ...  
Fuyutsuki: Even with the Lance, you still have a duty to the rest of the World. NERV is not your personal military.  
Gendo: I never implied that it was.  
Fuyutsuki: So what are you going to do? If you do not obey their orders, they may bring the UN into this...then we would have a real mess.  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki: Commander, they are impatient...and the core sample-  
Gendo: The Forsaken Project.  
Fuyutsuki (growling): ...I always hated that name.   
Gendo: Perhaps because you had a hand in it.  
Fuyutsuki: ...we all have blood on our hands.  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki (pulling a hand out from behind his back and gazing down at it): They were dark times...  
Gendo: ...yes.  
Fuyutsuki (glancing stiffly over at Gendo): If you hadn't had that traitor bring the original to you, this, perhaps, could have been avoided...or at least ignored a bit longer.   
Gendo: ...are you implying that it is my fault that the sample was used?  
Fuyutsuki: You could have been more discreet and-  
Gendo: And lurk in the shadows so much like a rat...is that what you were going to say, Professor?  
Fuyutsuki (gritting his teeth): No. That was not what I was going to say. The Child should never have been born.  
Gendo: On that matter, we agree.  
Fuyutsuki (softly): How can you be sure of which path to take?  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki: ...Which part of your family are you going to abandon?  
Gendo (calmly): ...you'll know when I know.  
Fuyutsuki: ...and the Child?  
Gendo: The Forsaken Project should never have been started outside these walls. If we are given the chance, we will terminate it.  
Fuyutsuki: ...what about the passage in the Dead Sea Scrolls? We may begin something that we cannot control. I would advise you to use caution, sir.  
Gendo (grinning under his hands): As always, Professor, your advice is duly noted.  
Fuyutsuki (thinking): ...and ignored...  
----------------------------------------------  
(The Second Child is walking into the girls' restroom at her school. Her lips are tight and her eyes are blazing like two blue flames. It is this very face that caused several would-be admirers to look the other way...)  
Asuka (pouting): I try and do something...nice for him and he reacts like I have a knife to his neck...   
(Pause)  
Asuka (grimly): The thought has some merit, though...  
(Sniffling)  
(Asuka stops dead in her tracks and she suddenly feels the tension in the bathroom. She had thought it was empty, but now, she is aware of another in the bathroom with her. Asuka pauses, then leans down to look under the stalls.)  
Asuka (thinking): That one... Damn, I had better use the other bathroom down the hall-  
(Sniffling)  
Asuka (thinking): ...but no one was there when I needed someone... Mother...  
(Asuka sighs and walks over to the occupied stall and leans her back against the door. She closes her eyes, then knocks on the door.)  
Voice (choked, quietly): Go away.  
Asuka: I need to use the bathroom.  
(A shocked silence.)  
Voice (softly outraged): There are three empty stalls!  
(Asuka winces and looks down at the other stalls. She hadn't thought about that.)  
Asuka: Well, maybe I like using the end stall!  
Voice: ...Asuka?  
Asuka (grinning): Ah, you know of me...  
(The door is suddenly opened from the inside and Asuka stumbles back.)  
Asuka (banging against the door as it comes to a stop, furious): What did you do that-?!  
(Silence)  
Asuka (whispering): Hikaru...  
----------  
(The rooftop is empty right now, as it should be, with classes in session. Asuka grimaces as she thinks about class.)  
Asuka (thinking): I'm going to catch hell for this...  
(The rooftop is an open area bordered by a high fence...to insure accidents didn't happen. The schoolyard below and the surrounding residential blocks are silent save the rising and falling whine of singing insects. The sun is high in the sky now, causing Asuka to shield her eyes as she looks around at the world about her.)  
Asuka (sighing as the girl behind her remains silent): So, what's up with you? You don't seem like the type of go for a sobbing spell in the girl's bathroom, Sixth Child.  
Hikaru (staring at her feet): ...  
Asuka (her eyes cutting to Hikaru): ...maybe...you are having boy problems?  
Hikaru (very quietly): It's not that.  
Asuka (thinking): Damn...  
Hikaru (lifting her face to the sunlight): ...I really don't know why I'm crying...  
Asuka (blinking): "You really don't know..." What the hell is wrong with you?! You just go around in life, spontaneously bursting into tears?!  
Hikaru: ...no...  
(Asuka walks over to the fence and sits down with her back to it, folding her legs neatly under her skirt.)  
Asuka (quietly): You really are a weirdo... Listen, you-you can't keep stuff bottled up inside. It just ends up...killing you in the end.  
Hikaru (gasping as her eyes turn to the Second Child): What happened?  
Asuka (leaning her head back against the metal fence, looking away): This isn't about me.  
Hikaru: ...please?  
(Asuka sighs and closes her eyes. She doesn't want to think about it, but the nightmares are always there.)  
Asuka (softly): ...it was months ago...  
Asuka (thinking): Why am I telling her this?!  
Asuka: I was...attacked...   
Hikaru (looking over at Asuka): What?  
(Asuka opens her eyes slowly and she finds herself gazing up at the sun. It hurt, but the memories hurt more.)  
Asuka (bowing her head slowly): I...was attacked by the Fifteenth Angel. It...seemed to rip me open...and look at all the horrible things in me.  
Hikaru (her eyes slowly focusing on the girl before her): Asuka...  
Asuka (her hands coming together in a desperate, double fist): I...could do nothing! It-It raped me of what I was...what I am! ...and I could do...nothing...  
(Silence)  
(Footsteps.)  
(Asuka is shocked to feel Hikaru sit beside her and wrap an arm around her shoulders.)  
Asuka (softly): I don't know why I'm telling this to a dummkopf like you...  
Hikaru: Maybe because you needed to tell someone...  
(Silence.)  
Asuka (looking at the Sixth Child from beneath her bangs): Now...what the hell's wrong with you?  
Hikaru (staring straight ahead): ...Asuka, I don't remember any of my family...  
Asuka (eyes widening): That's it?! You can't-  
Hikaru (whispering): I can't...remember anything about my past... My life began at the age of 13...  
Asuka: ...  
Hikaru: ...I...don't know who I am...where I came from...or where I'm going...  
Asuka: ...that's sad.  
Hikaru: Now...I find that a woman...I trusted as a...sister has been hiding my own past from me! My...family!  
Asuka (slowly): Natasha Karpov?  
Hikaru (softly): Yes... She knows about me...  
Asuka: But that's stupid! Why would she hide such a thing from you?!  
Hikaru (quietly): I don't know...but I'm going to find out. I just...don't want to hurt her-  
Asuka (coming to her feet): Well, you are going to have to be strong, Sixth Child! If you want answers, you are going to have to grit your teeth, bear with it, and get what you want!   
(Hikaru gapes up at Asuka. The fiery-haired girl has her hands on her hips and is glaring down at her expectantly.)  
Hikaru (with a weak smile): Yeah...and Asuka?  
Asuka: What?  
Hikaru (walking toward the stairs): Thanks...  
Asuka (blinking): ...sure.  
(Silence)  
Asuka (thinking): Mein Gott! I must be going soft!  
---------------------------------------   
Kensuke (excitedly): It is completely working! See! The flaps extend and the landing gears even rotate into place when you open them with this switch! It is an exact replica of the new United States fighter, the F-145B!   
Touji (yawning): I never could understand how you could be so interested in that stuff. Aren't kids supposed to grow out of toys-  
Kensuke (shouting): This is a toy! It's a model! An exact model!  
Touji (closing his eyes as he sipped the tea Hikari had prepared for him): Uh-huh.  
(The "Three Stoogies," at the moment, are sitting around Touji's desk, eating their lunches. Shinji is watching the by-play between his friends with wide eyes.)  
Kensuke (turning pleading eyes to Shinji): You understand, right, Shinji? You understand that I'm a collector...and not some big kid!  
Shinji (hesitant): Well...  
Asuka (smirking): In my opinion, you are all just big, immature kids! It is only right that you play with little baaaby toys!  
  
  
Touji (eyes flaring as he looks over Shinji's head): Hey!  
Kensuke (bowing his head miserably): No one understands...  
Shinji (turning in his seat, looking up): Asuka...  
Hikari (growling): Speaking of immature...where were you at, Asuka?   
(Asuka coming up short, dusting off her skirt to keep from meeting Hikari's glare.)  
Asuka: Um...well, you see...  
Kensuke (grinning up at the redhead): Wow, she's even starting to sound like Ikari!  
Asuka (her eyes blazing): Just what are you saying, Little boy?!  
Kensuke (crossing his arms across his chest): What does it sound like?  
(Shinji looks away from Asuka, who continues to glower at Kensuke. The object of her rage grins at her, crossing his arms confidently over his skinny chest. It seems safe at the moment, especially with Shinji between him and the furious Second Child. Shinji senses movement a second before he feels it. Suddenly, Asuka braces her hands on the back of Ikari chair and throws herself forward over his chair, so that her face is right in a very stunned Kensuke's. Shinji's eyes snap wide when he feels Asuka's stomach pressing against the back of his head.)  
Asuka (growling): It sounds like you are courting your death, Aida!  
Touji (sneering): Well, well, isn't this intimate?   
Asuka (snapping her burning glare at Suzuhara): What the hell are you-  
Hikari (timid, with a hint of laughter in her voice): Uh...Asuka?  
(Asuka blinks then looks down. Shinji is staring up at her face, her hair falling on either side of his cheeks. Asuka's feels her face turn the color of her hair.)  
Shinji (cheeks burning): Asuka...?  
Asuka (closing her eyes): Shinji?  
Shinji: Y-Yes?  
Asuka (straightening violently): Don't get any ideas about this!  
Hikaru: Asuka!  
Asuka (sighing): Damn... What do you want, Sixth Child?  
Hikaru (standing behind Asuka, her hands on her hips): And you accuse me of being loose?!  
Asuka (spinning on the girl): Just a second! Don't tell me that you think that-  
Hikaru (eyes narrowed): And if I do?  
Asuka (growling): Then you can take your ideas and sho-  
(The sudden, shrill ringing of a cell phone cuts the girl off and the children are struck into silence.)  
Touji (whispering): Hey, Ikari, it's coming from your book bag!  
Shinji (exchanging a glance with Asuka before reaching for the bag): It is...  
(The Third Child reaches inside and opens the small cell phone and lifts it to his ear.)  
Shinji (looking out the window at the cloudless, blue sky): ...hello?  
(Asuka looks over at Hikaru and she sees something she was never expecting. Hikaru...understands what it is to get a call on the cell phone. Fear...is the only way to explain it.)  
Shinji (blinking): Now?  
(Pause)  
Shinji: How will I-  
(Pause)  
Shinji (closing his eyes): I understand.  
(There is no goodbye, no acknowledgement of the ending of the call. Shinji simply, quietly, closes the cell phone and stares outside.)  
Hikaru (softly): S-Shinji?  
Shinji (his hand balling into a fist at his side): I'm...needed at headquarters.  
Asuka (scoffing): What is it that they only need you?!  
Shinji (slipping his phone back into his bag): I don't know. I will see you all later.  
(He picks up his bag and walks quietly toward the door.)  
Asuka (thinking): What the hell?  
----------------------------------------  
Misato (snarling): You bet I protest to this!  
Fuyutsuki (shocked): Major-  
Misato (shouting over the Vice-Commander): You can't tell me that this is all for the good of NERV!  
(Gendo Ikari hasn't moved since the Major had stormed into his office a few moments earlier. The light from the Geo-Front glows on the lenses of his glasses. His elbows are braced on his desk and his hands are folded before his face, forming a subtle, but effective barrier between him and the enraged woman.)  
Gendo (quietly): Are you implying that I would take the Third Child with me for personal reasons-  
Misato (drawing herself up): With all due respect, sir, I don't give a damn about your "personal reasons!"  
Gendo: I see.  
Misato (chopping her hand away from her, as if to swipe away the lies): What I protest is the fact that you would take Shinji into such a hostile environment! Seele is no place for a child!  
Gendo: Do you suggest I take some other Child...Pilot Soryu, perhaps?  
(Misato finds her mouth open, but with no words to fire at the Commander.)  
Gendo (lifting his head slightly so that his eyes flash beneath his glasses): Pilot Ikari is one of our best pilots. It is only right that he be used for this experiment.  
Misato (her hands fisted at her sides): An experiment that could only be performed at an undisclosed location?  
Gendo: Yes.  
(Misato closes her eyes and struggles to regain control of herself. Her heart is pounding so hard in her chest, she is surprised the sound isn't echoing off the cryptic walls of Gendo Ikari's inner sanctum.)  
Misato: What sort of protection is Shinji going to get?  
Fuyutsuki: Are you saying that NERV cannot protect its people, Major Katsuragi?  
(Misato opens her eyes slowly and Fuyutsuki draws back slightly at that which burns there. It reminds him too much of the young, tortured girl that had survived the horrors of the Second Impact.)  
Misato (very quietly): I'm not saying that at all. However, I believe that the lies have gone on long enough. We all know the danger in this mission. You cannot tell me that you two are unaware of that factor.  
Gendo (gazing silently at Misato): ...  
Fuyutsuki (slowly): Seele would be foolish to attack in the eyes of the world. No matter what they believe, they still relay upon secrecy to operate.  
(Gendo smirks under his folded hands.)  
(Misato stares at the two of them...hard. Fuyutsuki turns his back to her, gazing out the window at the Geo-Front. Gendo continues to gaze at her, but his glasses seem to shield her from probing deeper than the surface.)  
Misato (firmly as she turns away from the two, stalking toward the door): I will need a moment...alone with Shinji.   
  
(She pauses at the door.)  
Misato (softly): That is, with the Commander's permission, of course.  
(She doesn't see Gendo's very, very slight nod. She didn't need to see it, for she is already out the door.)  
Misato (very quietly, gritting her teeth): Damn it...  
(She turns away and begins to stalk down the hallway.)   
(Back inside Gendo Ikari's office)  
Fuyutsuki (bowing his head slightly): ...God.   
--------------------------------------  
(Shinji is standing between two of the nondescript elite of NERV's Secret Service. They are both men, both in black suits and ties. They both hide their eyes with shades. They stand in one of the many briefing chambers within the confines of NERV Central. They had directed him there with no more than a simple "Come with us." Shinji is now leaning against the cold, metal wall, his head bowed with his handbag clasped between his hands. The Secret Service men are still and silent like a pair of statues on either side of him.)  
(Shinji sighs and rolls his head back so he is staring at the shadowed ceiling over him. Surprisingly, the only light source in the room is aimed, not at the room, but at the symbol over his head. The blood-red symbol of NERV hovers over Shinji's head, almost like a twisted version of a halo. His eyes widen as his eyes read the words under NERV's emblem.)  
Shinji (whispering): "God's in his Heaven, All's right with the World..."   
(The word "God" flashes in the boy's mind.)  
Shinji (thinking): If God is in his Heaven, then why are there Angels here-?  
Misato: Shinji! There you are!  
(Shinji jumps and looks over to find Misato standing right beside him, smiling brightly into his face.)  
Shinji: M-Misato!  
Misato (straightening, her voice chilling a few degrees): You two are dismissed. I will escort Pilot Ikari to the transport.  
The Two Agents: Yes, ma'am.  
(Shinji watches after them as they stride out of the chamber and close the door softly behind them.)  
Shinji: I...never did like those guys.  
Misato (resting a finger thoughtfully on her lips): Those guys in particular or the Secret Service in general?  
Shinji (looking back into Misato kind face): I...don't know. They almost seem...  
Misato (laughing): ..."Robotic?" Is that the word you were looking for?  
Shinji (a hint of a grin tilting the boy's mouth): Yeah.  
Misato (sighing as she began to guide Shinji toward the exit opposite of the one the agents took): Well, I guess it's their job to act like nothing can bother them, that they can handle anything.  
(Shinji gazes up at Misato and he sees something that surprises him.)  
Shinji (softly): You are...worried.  
Misato: ...  
Shinji: Misato...what is this all about? Those guys didn't tell me anything. I've got to admit that I'm getting a little nervous-  
Misato (a little too brightly): Well, there's nothing to worry about! You are going to be all right!  
Shinji (hesitant): You don't sound sure-  
Misato (determinedly): Of course, I'm sure! I was born sure!  
Shinji: Misato...  
Misato (softly): You are going to be okay... NERV takes care of its own...all right?  
Shinji (stopping, gazing up at Misato): I believe you.  
Misato (a little wonder in her voice): ...you do...  
(Misato bats her eyes once, to clear away some dust that got caught in her eye... Misato turns toward Shinji and places her hands on his shoulders.)  
Misato: You will be fine. Before you know it, you will be home again, eating my famous cooking!  
Shinji (grinning): "Famous" is right...but for all the wrong reasons!  
Misato (scolding even as she chuckles): Oh, you are so mean!  
(She gazes down at the boy for a long moment, then leans down and kisses his cheek very gently. Shinji's eyes snap open and he gasps.)  
Misato (whispering into his ear): Be safe, my Shinji. You will be in my prayers.  
Shinji (looking into Misato's teary eyes): Misato-  
Pilot: Major, are we ready?  
(Misato straightens away from Shinji and quickly wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.)  
Misato (firmly): Yes.  
Pilot: Good, because we are ready for take-off.  
Shinji (blinking): "Take-off?" What's going on?  
Misato (quietly): You are going on a little trip, Shinji. There's material on it in the jet.  
Shinji (confused): Misato-?  
(The pilot opens the door, revealing a small runway surrounded by an open field. The field is open, that is, except for the "No Trespassing" fences another several hundred meters away. On the runway is a small twin-engine, private jet. It wears no markings other than the red emblem of NERV on its tail. The entrance hatch is open and light is pouring out onto the runway's flattop.)  
Shinji (walking hesitantly behind the Major and the pilot): Misato...I don't know-  
Misato: ...  
(The three climb the entrance ramp stairs and Shinji looks around the high-class cabin with wide eyes. The pilot takes his place next to his co-pilot in the cockpit and closes the door firmly. Shinji's eyes turn down the empty rows, searching for any other passengers. His eyes suddenly lock onto the last person he was expecting to see.)  
Shinji (very softly): Father.  
(Gendo Ikari has the overhead reading light on and is going over pages upon pages of text before him. If the older Ikari heard his son, he gives no sign of it. Misato grits her teeth.)  
Misato (crisply): Major Katsuragi, delivering Pilot Shinji Ikari, as ordered, sir!  
Gendo (without looking up): I am well aware of the fact, Major. You are dismissed.  
(Misato balls her fists and is about to take a step toward the Supreme Commander when she feels a gentle hand on her wrist. Her surprised eyes turn down and she finds Shinji looking up at her with eyes too old and a smile that is almost too painful to look at.)  
Shinji (softly): It's okay, Misato. I'm fine.  
Misato (whispering): Shinji...  
(Suddenly, the overhead PA system chimes and the pilot comes on.)  
Pilot: Passengers, prepare for take-off.   
Shinji: I will be all right. I will be back before you know it, right?  
Misato: ...  
(Misato reaches out and squeezes Shinji's shoulder gently before turning and stepping off the aircraft. Shinji glances over at his father and finds that the older man has not moved from his former position. The boy feels a wild rush of icy fear rake over his heart, but he forces it back. The boy slides into the front row and sits in the window seat.)  
(The boy looks out and he can see Misato standing in the grass beside the runway, her arms wrapped around herself. Shinji can hear the roar of the jet's twin engines as it prepares to take-off. Even at this distance, Shinji can see Misato's eyes...they are very sad.)  
Shinji (softly): Misato...  
(The jet taxies to the end of the strip and the engines' collective scream is so loud that he can't even hear his last words.)  
Shinji: Good-bye.  
(He presses a hand to the view port and he knows Misato understands as she lifts a hand in response. It is then that he is pushed back into his plush seat as the jet thunders down the runway. When he cannot longer see his guardian, Shinji leans back in his seat and closes his eyes again...hoping the fear will go away. The NERV jet slowly slings east, toward the land of twilight.)   
----------------------------------------------  
Ritsuko: He's gone, huh?  
(The doctor has changed out of her usual lab-coat and into white sweater and dark green, knee-high skirt... She is about to go "home" for the first time in three weeks. The doctor is looking down at her best friend before her. Misato is sitting at a table by herself in the "Officer's Lounge." She is still in her sleek, black dress with her red flight jacket hanging over the back of the chair. She has a small, crystal glass of some tan liquor in her hand. According to the flush that is running across Misato's cheeks, she has been here for some time.)  
Misato (quietly): Yeah...  
Ritsuko (gesturing to the chair opposite of the Major): May I?  
Misato (smirking darkly): It's a free country.  
Ritsuko (blinking): It is? When did that happen?  
Misato (taking a slow gulp of her drink): Be damned if I know.  
(Ritsuko sighs and looks out the bay of windows besides the two women. The Geo-Front stretches out beside them. Night and day have no meaning within the artificial world, but the engineering team believed that it would give the creatures that lived there a sense of balance...of being normal. Ritsuko spots a railcar in the distance, jetting down toward the depths of NERV, sparkling against the darkness of the Geo-Front like a spider's thread.)  
Ritsuko (looking slowly over at Misato): Are you going to be-  
Misato (lifting her glass suddenly): A toast.  
Ritsuko (cocking a brow as she glances down at her empty hands): Yes?  
Misato (gazing with blurred eyes into the icy contents of her glass): To the Children... To those who may never return... And to those who we are too stupid to tell that we...love...  
Ritsuko (quietly): Misato...   
Misato (gazing deeply into her glass): You know, Shinji once tried to break me of my drinking.  
Ritsuko (bracing her cheek on her palm): Really? That must have been interesting.  
Misato (her eyes glittering within her thick lashes): Yeah...he tried to change me over to orange juice. Me, drinking orange juice!  
Ritsuko (grinning): Perish the thought.  
Misato (looking closely into Ritsuko's face): That's just about what I told him!  
Ritsuko: What happened?  
Misato (swirling her drink around in her glass): I think he got the point when I had three beers after taking two sips of the juice.  
Ritsuko (her eyes widening with mock amazement): You really downed two sips of orange juice? Wow, you must have cared about Shinji's feelings to make such an effort.   
Misato (swaying a moment before regaining her balance): Yeah...but he looked so hurt before turning away to do the dishes. I didn't realize just how bad the boy shook me up until later. Then, I polished off the bottle.  
Ritsuko (truly amazed now): I don't believe it.  
Misato: ...  
Ritsuko: Are you going to be all right?  
Misato: ...  
Ritsuko: Misato?  
Misato (very quietly): Tell me he's going to be okay...  
Ritsuko (sighing): I...I can't say.  
Misato: Then, you got your answer.  
(In the distance, Ritsuko can hear the sound of a railcar clipping back toward the surface.)  
---------------------------------------  
(The Sixth Child is walking slowly toward the door of her apartment. The sky is burning behind her in an explosion of reds, blues, and violets. She reaches out for the door, but her hand pauses just before the handle.)  
Hikaru (thinking): I...  
Natasha (very quietly): I'm over here, Hikaru.  
(Hikaru gasps and spins toward the end of the outdoor hallway. Natasha has her hip braced against the concrete wall that keeps her from falling to the street five floors down. Her eyes are not looking at the girl, but rather at the sky.)  
Hikaru (her arms straight at her sides): I-I'm sorry I ran away this morning, Ms Natasha. I-It was very cowardly of me-  
Natasha (softly): You reacted true to your heart. I could never be angry with you for something like that.  
(In the distance, a train's horn blares, breaking the silence that grew between the girl and woman.)  
Hikaru (taking a hesitant step toward the Lieutenant): I-I'm not all right, am I?  
Natasha (closing her eyes): No, you're not...  
Hikaru (her hands balling into fists, shouting): What's wrong with me?! Why can't I remember my family?!  
Natasha (her arms crossing under her breasts as if to hold back the chill that threatens her soul): You shouldn't have to remember those things-  
Hikaru (shivering uncontrollably): You can't make those decisions for me!!  
Natasha: ...  
Hikaru (whimpering): Please...  
Natasha (turning slowly toward Hikaru): You're right...  
(Hikaru's violet eyes blink.)  
Natasha (her eyes full of agony, from without and within): I have no right to hide your past from you...I never did.  
Hikaru (bring a fist before her heart): Then why-?  
Natasha (sighing slowly): Because you were almost my sister...  
Hikaru: ...!!  
------------------------------------  
(The land below him was icy, uninhabited by humans or anything else living. Rocky outcrops pierce the frozen earth, scraping the sky. The land folds upon itself, looking for the world like jagged, hungry mouths gaping up at him. Alaska is now a land of nightmares. Small, icy lakes of water cover the ground in spots, looking like pools of tears. Around him, cloud drift by like giant castles made out of marshmallows in a river of blood. The sky had taken on a reddish hue since they had neared the western most point of the United States. The jet is a mere speck amongst the strained, floating masses. His eyes turn back to the world below.)  
Gendo: Man once tried to tame this land. During the Second Impact, this was one of first places to be effected. Once again, Nature showed Man His folly in the most blunt way possible.  
(Shinji is still stares out the window, but he has become very stiff. He had not seen his father move from his place at the back of the plane. Now, the Commander was standing at his back, hand folded calmly behind him.)  
Shinji (very quietly): Why did you ask for me? I know it was your decision in the end.  
Gendo: You require a reason?  
Shinji: Require? No, but, it would give me some comfort knowing why you chose me over...another.  
Gendo: I chose you because I had to make a choice.   
Shinji (gritting his teeth): That tells me nothing!  
Gendo (eyes turning down to study Shinji's tense back): Have you read your briefing yet?  
Shinji (quietly): ...no.  
Gendo: You should do so before we reach out destination. Your life may depend on it.  
Shinji (his eyes growing wide): M-My life?  
Gendo (taking a seat next to Shinji): Yes.  
(A strained silence fills the cabin of the aircraft. Gendo Ikari looks down at the files he has carried up with him while Shinji reaches out of the folder with his name on it. It is tucked in the pocket in front of his seat. Shinji's trembling hand slips and the folder flatters to the floor, dropping the papers in a heap at the boy's feet. Shinji grits his teeth and begins to quietly gather up the fallen papers.)  
Gendo (not looking up from his files): You are afraid.  
Shinji: ...  
Gendo (turning a page): You have an hour to prepare yourself. You will not disappoint me.  
Shinji (closing his eyes over his burning cheeks): Yes...sir.  
--------------------------------------   
Natasha (her body sprawled on the couch, her head laid back, eyes closed): Ryo Sohma was a very handsome, very cocky man.  
(Natasha's dark eyes peek at the girl sitting in the chair across from her. Hikaru's face is pale, but her lips are very firm. Natasha feels her heart sink a little bit, but she closes her eyes and continues.)  
Natasha: He transferred from Japan to Russia...I guess he found NERV's First Branch too...restricting. I heard rumors that he had a disagreement with someone higher up. I don't know. Ryo never talked about it.  
Hikaru (softly): How did you meet...my brother?  
(Rather than answer immediately, the Lieutenant turns her eyes to her right hand, which is draped casually across the back of the couch. The setting sun flashes off the polished gold and silver of her ring.)  
Natasha (slowly): It was...about four years ago, when I met the arrogant new transfer from Japan...  
[2011 AD, Spring...]   
(It is raining hard. So hard that it is difficult to see more than a foot in front of your face. The train station is quiet except for the continuous roar of the rain on the rooftop. Young Sergeant Natasha Karpov stands alone on the platform. She is clad in a long, flowing overcoat that seems to swallow her up. Her sharp, eloquent features are shadowed by the black umbrella she is holding over her head.)  
Natasha (thinking): It's late. God, it's cold out here!  
(Natasha's dark eyes narrow in annoyance.)  
Natasha (straightening up, taking on the gruff, stiff tone of her commanding officer): Don't put a bad face on the Russian military, Sergeant! Even if it takes all day, you wait for Dr. Sohma, understood?!  
(Natasha sneezes and rubs her nose with her leather-clad glove.)  
Natasha (muttering): Easy for you to say, you old bat! You aren't the one who has to sit out here in the wet and cold, waiting for some crotchety, foreign doctor!  
(It is so subtle, Natasha doesn't notice the faint glow appearing down the tracks until she hears the train horn. Natasha jumps and looks toward the sound.)  
Natasha (rubbing her hands against the chill): About damned time!   
(The train's lights flash in warning as it begins to pull into the station. The hiss of airbrakes is so deafening that Natasha winces. The engine of the train rushes by with a bone-shuttering rumble, sending Natasha's overcoat flattering about her thighs. The train screeches to a halt before the woman. Natasha sighs and sets her free hand on her hip, waiting. The doors hiss open and tired-eyed passengers begin to file off, dragging suitcases and duffel bags with them.)  
(Natasha feels like a idiot standing by the entrance to the train station with a handwritten sign that says "Sohma" held in her hand. Suddenly, a lanky, dark-haired man steps off the train and breathes in deeply.)  
Natasha (thinking, smirking): What an idiot! Doesn't he realize that it is pouring?!  
(The man sighs and slides his hands into his trench coat's pockets. His eyes spot her and she sees interest that she has seen so many times before.)  
Natasha (thinking): Not only is he an idiot. He's also a pervert! Come on over here, pal! I'll give you a proper "Welcome Home!"   
(Suddenly, the man picks up his simple, black suitcase and begins walking toward her. Natasha blinks in shock.)  
Natasha (thinking): He can't be thinking of propositioning me! I mean, I will just have to break his nose, then!  
(The man comes to stand before her and Natasha is more than a little annoyed that she has to tilt her umbrella back a bit to look him in the face. He is grinning down at her. He's got a nice smile...)  
Man (sticking his hand out, his Russian very rough): Hello, I am Ryo Sohma. I believe you are my escort. It is so nice to meet you!  
(Natasha finds that for the first time in her life that she doesn't have a thing to say for a whole heartbeat. Then,)  
Natasha (wailing): You can't be!!  
----------------------------------------  
(Her footsteps in the gravel seem like vague, distant static to the Second Child. She is alone. A situation that was not entirely her choice.)  
Asuka (her eyes staring at the gravel passing under her feet, thinking): Baka Shinji abandoned me again. Where the hell did he run off to?  
(A gentle note from a flute whispers in the breeze, but Asuka doesn't really notice.)  
Asuka (glaring at the lavender clouds drifting toward the horizon, thinking): And Heaven forbid that Hikari would want to walk her best friend home! Instead, she wants to waste her time with that pervert, Touji!  
(Asuka sighs and stops on the gravel road. Her head turns and she gazes at the glowing, hushed city of Tokyo-3. The lights are starting to flicker to life as the sun begins to set.)  
Asuka (thinking): I wonder if Misato is home, yet. Maybe she's worried about me...  
(Asuka's lips twist bitterly.)  
Asuka: Why the hell should I care?! She's not my mother!  
(The Second Child seems to draw into herself.)  
Asuka (quietly): I don't want...a mother...  
(The flute sings on the wind again and Asuka blinks in surprise. She lifts her head and she finds Rei sitting on a bench, overlooking Tokyo-3.)  
Asuka (softly, surprised): Rei?  
(Rei is sitting with her legs crossed under her, her eyes closed, and her fingers moving with simple skill over her flute that makes Asuka's heart flutter. There is something about the girl's aura that is different. There seems to be more color in the First Child's face than before, but, perhaps, that is simply the light from the setting sun.)  
(Rei continues to play a soft, simple song that seems to drift about her like a spell. If Asuka were the superstitious type, she would have said that Rei was a sorceress.)  
Asuka (walking slowly up behind Rei, leaning against the back of the bench, thinking): Now, what's up with her?! One thing that has always remained the same was Wonder Girl! Now, she is sitting there, playing like she has known music all her life!  
(The music stops suddenly.)  
Rei (quietly): How long are you going to stare at me?  
(Asuka gapes at the other girl for a moment, then shrugs her shoulders as if to drop her discomfort like a cloak.)  
Asuka: Until I feel like stopping. I can't figure you out.  
Rei: ...?  
(Asuka walks around and sits beside the First Child, crossing one leg over another legs easily, while throwing her arms over the back of the bench.)   
Asuka (muttering): Well, this is just a day of surprises, isn't it?  
Rei: ...  
Asuka (looking over at Rei expectantly): ...  
Rei: ...  
Asuka (snorting as she plants an elbow on her knee and braces her chin on her palm): Then again, some things always remain the same. You know, some people would say you are anti-social, Rei.  
Rei: ...?  
Asuka (growling): I mean people will think that you don't like to be around others!  
Rei: ...should I care?  
Asuka (eyes snapping wide): What?!  
Rei (her eyes reflecting the color of the sky): Should I care...what people think?  
Asuka (uneasily, shrugging a shoulder): Well...yeah! We are a social species! We depend on others to give us status and pride!  
Rei (distantly): ...I care not for these things.  
Asuka (jumping to her feet with a frustrated groan): I knew I should have kept walking! God, what was I thinking?!  
(Asuka snatches up her school bag and starts stalking toward the gravel road.)  
Rei: I care about...Ikari.  
(Asuka staggers to a stop.)  
Asuka (stunned, not looking at Rei): Y-You do?  
(Asuka blinks and turns to face Rei with a smug grin on her face.)  
Asuka: Oh, you mean Gendo Ikari! I almost forgot that you are his favorite!   
Rei: ...  
Asuka (leering, leaning down toward the First Child): Do you dream about him, First Child? Do you want him?  
Rei: I don't understand.  
Asuka (snorting): I would think not. A doll like you won't understand.  
Rei: ...Asuka.  
(Asuka blinks, shocked Rei said her name.)  
Asuka (shaken): What?  
Rei (wrapping her hands around the flute in her lap): I dream...of gold and red. I dream of Shinji. H...He is lost.   
Asuka (her eyes snapping wide): What?!  
Rei (her crimson eyes looking down at the instrument in her hands): I dream of grinning faces and a lost child. I see...many things-  
Asuka (shouting): What are you talking about?!  
(Asuka spins about and begins running away from the First Child. Rei continues to stare at her flute in her lap. The sun sets behind the foothills surrounding Tokyo-3 and the shadows cover Rei.)  
Rei (very softly): I don't want...I don't want to dream this dream anymore. Because I dream of death...  
-------------------------------------------   
(There is the crackling of something burning close by. For a second he believes he has been blinded, but then he lifts his head and finds that he can still indeed see. The world has stopped shaking and spinning, but now, nothing makes sense.)  
Shinji (groggy): Where?  
Gendo (quietly): We have crashed.  
Shinji (eyes snapping wide as he turns his head slowly toward the source of his father's voice): What?!  
(Gendo Ikari is standing in the aisle, or what remains of it, brushing his sleeve off. Somehow, his glasses are still on his face.)  
Shinji: I don't understand-  
Gendo (coolly): You are bleeding. Take care of that.   
(The Commander begins walking toward the front of the jet.)  
Shinji (suddenly desperate): Father! Don't leave me here!  
Gendo (pausing): I am merely checking the cockpit.  
Shinji (softly): For survivors-?  
Gendo: No. For a working radio.  
Shinji: ...  
(Gendo disappears into the gloom of the cabin and Shinji pushes himself into a sitting position once more. His eyes turn about to look at his surroundings. The cabin is twisted like the interior of a crushed tin can. The windows are either shattered completely or covered with spider-webs of cracks. Several gaping scars in the fuselage reveal the burning, red sky outside. The wind howls like a tortured demon, making Shinji shiver.)  
Shinji (whispering): A world of nightmares...  
(There is something wet on his forehead and he reaches up. His hands comes away slick with blood.)  
Shinji (distantly): I'm bleeding-  
(A white, medical-aid kit drops into the seat next to the Third Child and he gazes at it for a long moment, not understanding where it had come from.)  
Gendo: If you don't stop the bleeding you will be of no use to me. Handle it!  
Shinji (not looking up at the Supreme Commander): Yes, sir.  
(Gendo Ikari turns away again and comes to the cockpit door. His hand twists the knob and the door doesn't budge. Gendo frowns, annoyed. He takes a step back and slams his foot into the door. Unable to resist, the door caves in and Gendo pushes his way into the mangled cockpit.)   
Gendo (his eyes gliding efficiently over the scene before him): ...  
(The co-pilot is gone. Obviously, he had not been buckled in before the jet's unexpected "landing." The co-pilot's forward window was shattered outward with blood glistening on the shards. Gendo can see the twisted form of the co-pilot some five hundred meters away.)  
Gendo (looking down): I see they have done their homework.  
(The pilot's head was embedded in the control panel. The radio is...burnt out. Apparently, there had been a short-lived fire after the "landing.")  
Gendo (his eyes flashing in the dark light as he reaches out toward the control panel): How thoughtful of them...  
--------  
(Shinji has never had to apply first-aid to anyone. The issue has never come up. He finally ended up with a thick bandage around his head. He had tied it tightly, hoping to stop, or at least slow down the bleeding.)  
(Shinji looks up and finds his father standing before him, his eyes lost in shadows.)  
Gendo: We are leaving.  
Shinji (coming slowly to his feet): The pilots-  
Gendo: That is irrelevant. It is time to go.  
Shinji (balling his fists): If there is something we can do for them-  
Gendo (moving toward the exit hatch): If you want to tend to the co-pilot, he is wrapped around an outcropping. It would seem that his heart has been displaced by a rather sharp shard of glass.  
Shinji (bowing his head): My God-  
Gendo (reaching into a small supplies closet by the door): If you want to help the pilot, I would suggest that you get something to wedge his head free of the dash-panel, first-  
Shinji (quietly): Okay, enough.  
Gendo: ...  
(Commander Ikari pulls out a pair of thick, winter jackets, one backpack, and a box of flares.)  
Shinji (softly): You came prepared.  
Gendo: Correct.  
Shinji: Did you know-  
Gendo: That is not important now.  
Shinji (his eyes cold as they stepped outside the down aircraft): Did you care?  
---------------------------------------   
(Fuyutsuki walks swiftly into the briefing room. The word on the Commander and Shinji's flight had come only a few moments before. He is shaking his head until he spots the dark form seated at the head of the table.)  
Fuyutsuki (quietly): Major...  
(The lights are turned so low that much of Misato's face is cast in shadows. The long, marble-top table reflects the indirect lighting aimed at the ceiling on its smooth, cool surface. The room is rectangular with dark carpet, so the light seems even dimmer. Misato is at the head of the table, her visible eye cold, composed...dead. Her hands are folded before her face.)  
Misato (her head slightly inclining): Sir.  
(Fuyutsuki gazing at the woman across the room from him and it feels like the temperature in the room had just pummeled.)  
Fuyutsuki (clearing his throat uncomfortably): You got here quickly-  
Misato (quietly): Did you expect anything else?  
Fuyutsuki (folding his hands behind his back, determined to look the Major in her eyes): No. Your...feelings on the matter have never been in question.  
Misato: Did he not believe me or is it his arrogance to blame-?  
Fuyutsuki (softly): Misato-  
Misato (her voice distant): Do you realize that I always believed that I would lose Shinji to the Angels someday? If you had told me all those months ago that it would be my own kind to rip him from my grasp, I would have laughed...  
(Fuyutsuki looks away from Misato's level, dim gaze.)  
Fuyutsuki: Major, I'm sorry for you.   
Misato: ...  
(The door of the room suddenly slides open. Ritsuko, Maya, Shigeru, and Hyuga walk in, talking quietly until they see Misato.)  
Misato (gesturing to the empty seats): Take a seat, everyone. This will not take long.  
(Maya blinks and shakes her head sadly.)  
Maya (thinking): How many times? How many times does she have to go through this?!  
(Fuyutsuki takes the seat at the other end of the table, his eyes cast down. The others gaze at Misato.)  
Misato (looking over at Maya): Report.  
Maya (clenching her jaw a moment before beginning): Um...at 03:56, local time, we lost contact with Commander Ikari's aircraft. There was not much warning. From radio transmissions, all seemed fine until 03:55, when we received this transmission.  
(At Misato's slight nod, Maya clicks the button on the side of the table for the audio/video controls.)  
(The voice comes from the speaker overhead.)  
Pilot (calmly): We are passing checkpoint Alpha-Alpha-Tango. We have...um...open skies and are processing to-What the hell?! What is tha-  
(Suddenly, there is a violent distortion in the radio frequency and the two pilots' screams echo within the chamber. Abruptly, the transmission stops. Thankfully, for some in the briefing room.)  
Ritsuko: Were there any weather disturbances in the area? The pilot seemed surprised about something.  
Hyuga (looking down at the files he brought with him): It would not be shocking. Here.  
(He clicked on the video display at the end of the room. The silence is so thick that speech seemed impossible for a moment. Then, Hyuga clears his throat.)  
Hyuga (gesturing toward the image): This is a satellite view of the area formally known as Alaska. Once, it was one of the United States. However, after the Second Impact, this area was mostly submerged...killing almost the entire population that lived in it. After a few...mishaps with people trying to bring life back to this section of the planet, the United States restricted access to this area to any civilians, renaming Alaska "The Second Impact Memorial Park."  
(Silence)  
Hyuga (quietly): Nothing...lives there anymore. A heavy blanket of red hued dust covers the sky. It is a very cold and hostile environment.   
Misato (quietly): Thank you, Hyuga. Shigeru?  
Shigeru (nodding quickly, glancing at Maya and Hyuga before starting): Due to that blanket of dust, any further use of satellites is basically useless. Optical scans can't pierce that constant cloud-cover.   
Ritsuko (leaning forward on her elbows): What about infrared scans?  
Shigeru (his mouth twisting sadly): That same cloud-cover has strange...properties.   
Ritsuko (eyes narrowed): What strange properties?  
Shigeru (coughing nervously): There are...shadows...  
Ritsuko (blinking): "Shadows?"  
Shigeru (shrugging his shoulders as if to relieve tension there): While I was scanning the area, I came across about twenty-five...(cough) million, individual "shadows-"  
Misato (quietly): What are these..."Shadows," as you call them?  
Maya: They are energy readings, Major... Readings of things that are not...there.  
Misato (closing her eyes): I see.  
Fuyutsuki: So, the only way we can verify...anything is by sending someone to check out this place, personally.  
Shigeru (nodding slowly): Yes, sir. That is basically what I'm saying.  
Fuyutsuki: What a mess...  
Misato (lifting her eyes from the marble table, looking at everyone in turn): So we have missing people in the United States' "Second Impact Memorial Park."   
Ritsuko (concerned): Misato, what are you-  
Misato (coming to her feet, her eyes blazing quietly within the shadows of her face): Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki, with your permission, I would like to lead a team on a rescue mission.  
(Silence fills the room as Fuyutsuki doesn't give an immediate answer. He gazes at the Major quietly, as if trying to measure Misato's heart. Should Shinji be dead...)  
Fuyutsuki (softly): Request granted. Gather your team, Major Katsuragi, find our people, and get back here ASAP.  
Misato (saluting sharply): Yes, sir. Hyuga, you're with me. We start now.  
(Hyuga jumps to his feet and gathering up his papers quickly.)  
Hyuga (quickly): Yes, ma'am!  
(Misato glides out of the room, her eyes never turning from the door. Hyuga looks up at the satellite image still floating on the screen at the end of the room.)  
Hyuga (quietly): Oh, man...  
------------------------------------------   
(It is night outside now. The lights of Tokyo-3 glow outside the Karpov apartment, but it goes unnoticed by those within the home. Lights seem unnecessary, somehow, and Hikaru lights a match within the darkness. Her fingers guide the burning sliver of wood over a wick. The newborn flame flickers in the girl's eyes and she seems lost for a moment. Then, she turns and looks at Natasha. The Lieutenant is still seated at the couch, looking pale despite the lack of true light.)  
Hikaru (her voice aching): If-If you don't want to-  
Natasha (closing her eyes): It is too late now. I can't stop here.   
Hikaru: ...  
Natasha (rolling her head back, speaking into the shadows of the ceiling): Your brother was a flirt, a bastard, and a clown.  
Hikaru (starting to rise from her chair): What-?!  
Natasha (quietly): Be he was also more than that. He had a kindness that he often hid from the eyes of others. NERV is hardly an organization that would recognize such an emotion as anything other than weakness.   
Hikaru: ...  
Natasha: He also had an indomitable spirit that, sometimes, I despised! He would never leave me alone! Most guys would take a hint! When not on duty, he flirted almost constantly with me! The bastard would do it wherever he felt like it. He didn't care!  
Hikaru (softly): I don't understand-  
Natasha (looking Hikaru in the eye): I told myself that my job was enough, that I didn't need a social life. I felt that I didn't want...a family.   
Hikaru: ...I...see.  
Natasha (smiling despite herself): No, I don't think you do. My family was rich. My father had been a man that had invested deeply into international stocks. After...the Second Impact, many of those shocks paid off very well due to the reconstruction effort.  
(Natasha grit her teeth at the memories.)  
Natasha (growling): I was my family's little princess! I always felt like I was some sort of dress-up doll to be showed off to the world!   
(Silence)  
Natasha (slowly, her eyes flashing in the candlelight): Maybe that's why I joined NERV. I wanted to do more than simply watch from the sidelines while my father got fat off of other people's suffering.  
Hikaru: You felt that by doing anything other than acting for the good of the organization, you were going back on that...ideal.  
Natasha (her eyes hidden by the fall of her blond hair, very softly): ...yes.  
Hikaru (her eyes not unkind): So you resisted my brother.  
Natasha (chuckling softly): For all the good it did me. Even while I thought he was a flirt, I realized when your brother was sincere. There was a...look that he got in his eye. It was like there was nothing you could hide from him.   
(Natasha looks up at Hikaru, gazing deeply into the Sixth Child's eyes.)  
Natasha: Perhaps, it is a talent that is hereditary.  
Hikaru: ...!  
Natasha: Well, it was a situation that could not remain the same forever. He was pushing and I was pushing right back! And then, it came to a point...and I could never go back to the way I was...  
  
[2011 AD, Winter...]  
(It is an isolated corridor within the facility of NERV's third branch. Young Natasha is dragging Ryo behind her. Her eyes are blazing with fury that she can barely contain. Holding in her anger has never been her strong point. The doctor is walking willingly behind her, an amused grin stretching his mouth. When she can go no further, she spins about on the tall doctor.)  
Natasha (snapping): What the hell was that?!  
Ryo (cocking his head to the side): What do you mean?  
Natasha (lifting one of her hands before his face, a crumpled piece of paper peeking from between her fingers): What the hell is this?!  
Ryo (contemplating the crumpled piece of paper deeply): Hmmm... It appears to be the little note that I handed to Ega to pass to you. Didn't you get it, sweetness?  
Natasha (very slowly, between her teeth): You know damned well I got it! I also I know everyone else in the Command Center heard about it, too! Ega is one of the biggest loud-mouths on the entire base!  
Ryo (scratching his cheek, looking up in embarrassed thought): Really? I had no clue! If I caused you any grief by it-  
(Natasha suddenly launches herself at the doctor and grabs him by the lack of his lab-coat. Her attack sends Ryo back into the opposite wall.  
Natasha (snarling up into his face): Now you listen to me, Doctor Sohma! You will stop this, immediately! I refuse to go out with a flirty, cocky, arrogant son of a bitch like you!  
Ryo (grinning as he rests his hands on Natasha's slender shoulders): You forgot handsome as hell. Give the idea some time. I'm sure you'll come around.  
Natasha (shouting): Don't you get it?! You aren't my type! You do your job and I will do mine!   
(Ryo's eyes narrow and suddenly Natasha feels like she has walked into a minefield.)  
Ryo (very quietly): That's not good enough. I'm not going to stop. Ever. You'd better remember that, my dear, sweet Natasha. I need you.  
(Natasha can only gape at the man in front of her. His eyes are darker than they usually are. They seem to drink in the light around them. Suddenly, he smiles gently.)  
Ryo: You'll come around. Trust me.  
-----------------------------------   
Shinji (lifting his head slowly, his features flicking in the firelight): Do you think they are looking for us?  
(The wind is howling outside, threatening to break into the dubious protection of the shallow cave. Gendo and Shinji are seated opposite of each other. The tiny flame between them is like a baby chick without its mother; weak and sure to die soon. Commander Ikari's glasses flash in the firelight.)  
Gendo (calmly): That is irrelevant-  
Shinji (shouting): How can you say that?! Don't you care if we live or die out here?!  
Gendo: ...  
Shinji (dragging his medical blanket tightly about himself, softly): I don't even understand...what is happening anymore. With...with the Angels, it was easy to know who the enemy was. Everything was straight forward. I didn't have to wonder about what to do or who to trust.  
Gendo: ...  
Shinji (the fire reflecting in his eyes): But this isn't good enough for you, is it? There are...things out there...that shouldn't be-  
Gendo: Things you don't have to worry about-  
Shinji (his fists threatening to tear the blanket, shouting): Liar! You can't tell me that!   
(Silence reigns in the small cave as father and son measure each other.)  
Shinji (feeling that his mouth was moving against his will): Kaoru wasn't a mistake, was he? He was created, just like Rei!  
Gendo: ...  
Shinji (gazing at his father under his bangs): Don't you think that I don't understand some of it! You did something...horrible...didn't you?  
Gendo: ...  
Shinji (bowing his head): Did you think I wouldn't recognize those eyes?  
Gendo (picking up a twig and tossing it into the fire): You don't know what you saw.  
Shinji (softly): Don't I?  
Gendo: You don't understand anything. You are chasing shadows.  
Shinji: What is the truth, then?  
Gendo: ...  
Shinji: ...well?  
Gendo (coming to his feet): It is time to go. We have spent enough time here.  
Shinji (the blanket snapping about him as he begins to follow his father, softly): Coward.   
Gendo (the wind roaring about him, quietly): Someday, perhaps, you will understand.  
-----------------------------------  
(There are two shadows on either side of him. He is sitting on one of the briefing benches, alone, staring at his hands between his knees.)  
Voice 1 (softly to the other): I don't know about you, but this kid creeps the hell out of me!  
Voice 2 (a little grim): Well, us Grunts don't really have a say in who can tag along on a mission. I mean, you are here after all!  
Voice 1 (growling): You know what you can do with your ideas! Still, I'm not sure if he's even...human. I mean, he's been staring at his hands for the last two hours! If I didn't know better, I would say that he was a marionette or something! And those eyes...  
Voice 2: As I said, we don't question orders. Just follow them. You would be wise not to ask many questions. We are dealing with some serious players here!  
Voice 1 (stiffly): If you ask me, this doesn't seem like much sport! Are the targets even armed?  
Voice 2: You and your "Code of Honor!" In some professions, it is best to leave those things at home!  
(The light is growing dim. The lanterns hanging from the large survival tent's supports are running low on fuel. The two men in the tent had turned off the heater several minutes ago.)  
Voice 1 (whispering behind his hand): We turned off the heater and still he sits there! I wonder if he will move when it is time to move out? Maybe, we can just leave him here!  
Voice 2: You would leave a little boy to fend for himself in this wilderness?   
Voice 1 (snorting): You might feel sorry for leaving the little freak-show out here, but not me! Did you see what he did-  
Voice 2 (snapping quietly): There are some things that we are not supposed to talk about!   
Voice 1: Yeah, yeah, the "I see no evil, hear no evil" routine. Don't worry, I'm not talking.  
Voice 2 (firmly): See that you don't, because there's no second chance with these people!  
(There is a soft chirping and one of the men looks down at his wristwatch.)  
Voice 1: Well, it's about time! Let's get this thing down and packed away. If the boy doesn't-  
(Just then, the boy stands and begins walking toward the exit of the tent. As it happens, the path takes him right in between the two men. The two guys step quickly aside, as if the boy is on fire and they don't want to be burnt. The boy pushes open the flap to the tent and the horrible cold rips by him and fills the tent. The boy pauses to zip up his thick jacket and then continues outside. The flap flutters in the wind and one of the men looks at his companion.)  
Voice 1: And why the hell is he wearing shorts in Alaska?!  
Voice 2 (shrugging uneasily): I've seen stranger things...  
Voice 1: I'm sure you have.  
-----------------------------------------   
(The door clicks softly as Asuka opens it. The apartment is dark and very quiet.)  
Asuka (glaring at her watch): Where the hell is everyone?!  
(Silence greets her and Asuka rubs her shoulders against the chill that is more than physical.)  
Asuka (muttering): Some reception... Don't tell me that Misato is working late again!  
(Silence)  
(Asuka stiffens her back, pushes away aloneness as if it was a leper, and stomps through the apartment. Her fingers lash out at power switches randomly, flooding the home with light in several seconds flat. With that done, she rushes almost desperately over to the television and clicks it on. The senseless chatter of some news broadcast blares forth and Asuka doesn't feel so isolated.)  
Asuka (setting her hands on her hips): That's better!   
(The Second Child glares toward the kitchen.)  
Asuka (stiffly): I guess it is too much to hope that Shinji would have made dinner this morning.   
(Asuka is quiet for a moment as she remembers the image of Shinji at their school window, his eyes very tired as he takes that anonymous phone call.)  
Asuka (violently shaking her head): Of course, he won't think ahead! Dummkopf!   
(More senseless chatter from the TV.)  
Asuka: Of course not...  
(Sensing herself becoming depressed, Asuka stalks into the kitchen like a force of nature. Her eyes lock onto the refrigerator and she walks over to it and throws open the door. She quickly snatches up a can of soda and marches down to the bathroom.)  
(Seconds later the roar of the bath can be heard through the apartment.)  
Asuka (sitting down on the toilet seat): Nothing like a bath to wash your worries away.  
(Her finger snaps open the can of soda and she tilts it to her mouth.)  
Asuka (her eyes looking around at the tiled walls about her): I never noticed how quiet this place gets without the others.  
(Asuka shrugs her shoulders and begins unbuttoning her blouse.)  
Asuka: It's not like I need someone here, with me! I mean, I just don't like silence.  
(Asuka steps out of her uniform and folds it neatly on the toilet seat. Then, she slides into the tub and sighs as the water's warm burns away the chill that had settled about her.)  
Asuka (muttering): What the hell could have happened that they would only have needed Shinji? It's not like he's the best pilot! If anyone, I should have been called! The Third Child is such a wimp!  
(An image flashes in Asuka's mind. Shinji's face. Troubled by bad dreams. Her thoughts echo back to her. As her head had lowered toward his, "Just one...just to wake him up...")  
Asuka (her lips twisting bitterly): Of course, even in his sleep, Shinji screws everything up! It wasn't like I was going to hurt him or anything...  
(Asuka lifts the can of soda to her lips and takes a slow gulp of it. She sighs deeply and lays back. Her hair floats freely about her face and she gazes at the ceiling.)  
Asuka (as she lifts a lock of her hair before her eyes, her voice hard with insult): I happen to think I have a very beautiful hair color!  
(Asuka closes her eyes and pushes her head back in the water so that all her hair is submerged.)  
Asuka (thinking): ...idiot.  
-----------------------------------  
(The snow beneath Shinji's feet crunches rhythmically as he and Gendo make their way through the wasteland. There is no sun and Shinji can't see the stars. Somehow, his father seems to know where he is going.)  
Shinji (thinking): He acts like he knows of a destination, yet, he looks at no maps and hasn't looked at his compass in hours! Could it be that he...knew that this was going to happen?  
(There are trees surrounding the two. Rather, there are what remains of trees as they were before the Second Impact. Only now, the trees are charred black and stand like so many claws reaching for the blood-red sky. Shinji suddenly remembers why he has kept his eyes cast down for the last hour.)  
Shinji (gazing at his father's back, softly): F-Father?  
Gendo: What is it?  
Shinji (forcing his eyes up): D-Do you know...why the sky is red?  
(The question seems childish at first. A question a young child asks its parent when it is first taken outside and gazes at the sea of blue overhead. But the question seems to change into something else in a space of seconds. Where the hell are they where the shy is the color of blood and the land is like a corpse. What had happened here?)  
Gendo: ...rather than blue?  
Shinji: ...yes.  
Gendo: ...  
Shinji: ...  
Gendo (not looking at the boy): You would not understand.   
Shinji: Why do you say that?  
Gendo: You believe that things are inherently fair and just. You believe that we live in a world that encourages life.  
Shinji: ...  
Gendo (his eyes flashing behind his glasses): This is false. It never was true.   
Shinji (softly): Did we do...something?  
Gendo: ...our hands are not clean.  
Shinji (quietly): ...I see...  
Gendo: You don't need to understand.  
Shinji (looking at the back of his father's head): Why?  
(There is a long moment where only the land around them speaks. Gendo continues to walk with his slow, gliding stride while Shinji gazes at him, waiting.)  
Gendo (his voice very quiet): Because some innocence should not be destroyed...  
Shinji (coming around a large tree, following his father): What-  
Voice (shouting): Halt!  
(Gendo Ikari stops in his tracks, his eyes invisible within the shield of his glasses. Shinji staggers to a halt a few steps behind his father, his eyes growing wide. The man before them has night-vision goggles on. His body is wrapped up in thick, white and black, heated-clothing. In his hands, he has an automatic rifle fitted with a laser-sight. At the moment, the laser point is flickering over Gendo Ikari's indifferent face.)  
Gendo (calmly): Are you intending on shooting us on the spot? We are not armed-  
Soldier (reaching to tap the comm unit attached to his ear, snarling): Shut up! I'm going to call this in!   
(Gendo Ikari senses the moment young man's eyes turn away from him and he makes his move. A second later, a flare is spinning through the air, burning like a small sun between the soldier and the Supreme Commander of NERV. The soldier screams as he rips the goggles off his face. Suddenly, a handgun fires and young man is jerked back and lands heavily in the snow. The wound in his shoulder begins to ooze blood on the white fluff.)  
(Gendo walks slowly up to the man and levels his handgun in the man's face. His finger tightens and pauses.)  
Shinji (whispering, horrified): Father...  
(Gendo's face is a stark mask in the burning night. Gendo narrows his eyes and cautiously holsters the handgun.)  
Gendo (grim): He will call this in the moment he regains consciousness. We have to be gone before that happens.  
(Shinji presses a hand against his pounding heart as he steps around the downed soldier.)  
Shinji (softly): Thank you...  
Gendo: Next time, I will have to shot him in his head. Then, we won't have this discussion.   
Shinji: ...  
(They move toward the other end of the clearing when Gendo hears the click of the rifle being picked up. Gendo turns his head to look over his shoulder.)  
Boy (the rifle held with both of his hands): No more...  
(Gendo slowly turns and Shinji spins about to face the boy opposite of him. Shinji's eyes widen in shock.)  
Shinji (whispering): Y-You...  
(In the dark light of the Alaskan night, the boy's white hair glows like spun moonlight. The hair is wild and unkept about the boy's face, but Shinji can still see those eyes that had haunted him since their last meeting. Red. Indifferent. Emotionless. ...Rei.)  
Gendo (slowly): This explains a lot.  
Boy: ...  
Gendo: What are you intending on doing with that?  
Boy: Death.  
Gendo: I see.  
(The boy lifts the rifle toward Gendo, but Shinji is suddenly in the way.)  
Shinji (crying out): Please, no! Please, you spared my life before... You don't have to do this!  
Boy: ...  
Shinji: Y-You remind me of a girl I know... She is very special to me. When I first spoke to her...she was so cold, so distant that I felt like she was some sort of robot or puppet.   
Boy (eyes slowly turning toward Shinji): ...  
(Shinji begins to walk toward the boy. Shinji's eyes trace the face that is different, yet familiar. The boy's face is delicate, like Rei's and Kaoru's, yet there is something more. Something that he can't quite understand. The boy before him remind him of...himself.)  
Shinji (reaching out to the boy): You don't have to listen to anyone you don't want to. You are your own person! With the girl I told you about...she is not a puppet. She has emotions... She doesn't always know how to express them...but they are there! I know you are more than you reveal!  
(The boy eyes lower toward the rifle in his hands. The laser point is now hovering over Shinji's heart. One pull of the trigger...the mission would be over. His head is hurting. All he has to do... All he has to do...)  
Shinji: You are not a puppet. You can be more... Please, come with me. When we met last...your eyes they seemed so sad. You don't have to be sad anymore.  
Boy (suddenly looking up, his eyes fierce): Third Child...  
(The crack of a gun echoes through the wastelands of Alaska.)  
-------------------------------------------   
(She is so tired. She wants to rest, but she can't. Not yet.)  
Natasha (slowly): Your brother treated me like a princess, but this time, I didn't mind it so. It is kind of hard to get mad at such a handsome man for pampering you!  
(Hikaru nods slowly.)  
Natasha (her eyes suddenly sly): You understand, of course.   
Hikaru (blinking, her cheeks heating): W-What do you mean?  
Natasha (grinning at the girl): Don't think I don't know about that little side trip to the museum you made with Ikari.  
Hikaru (her fingers fluttering nervously in her lap): Yeah, um...well, that was a thing between...friends! Yes, that's it, friends.  
Natasha (chuckling softly): Yeah, right.  
(Hikaru bows her head, blushing hotly.)  
Hikaru: You're mean to tease me about that!  
Natasha (waving that away): It's my nature! You should know that by now!  
Hikaru (grumbling): That doesn't make it right...  
Natasha (sighing): Well, you're brother introduced me to that demon. He had me speaking my mind when I should have kept my trap shut! If it weren't for the fact that he was so high in the order of things, I'm sure I would have been canned more than once!  
(Natasha's eyes grow distant again and she folds her hands in her lap.)  
Natasha (softly): Sometimes, when a person seems so strong and confident...it is easy to forget that they can hurt like everyone else. Have you ever seen a man cry? I mean, really cry? This was something new to me. I never felt so helpless...or so needed as when I had to comfort your brother over a devastating loss.  
Hikaru (her heart pounding): "Devastating loss..."  
Natasha (looking up, her eyes fierce): You will understand someday...I'm sure. As much as I wish it otherwise.   
Hikaru: ...  
Natasha: That is when you came to live with me. I had never lived with a child before.  
Hikaru (quietly): What was I like?  
Natasha (closing her eyes): You were very quiet, soft spoken. You were...recovering. At first, I wasn't sure that I could handle the duty.  
(FLASHBACK: Ryo (setting his hands on Natasha's shoulders): I won't have it any other way. I am of no use to my baby sister right now. Please...my love.)  
Natasha: ...  
Hikaru (blinking): And...?  
Natasha (looking up, her eyes steel in the candlelight): That's how I came to know your brother. That's why I have a picture of him in my room. That's how you almost become my sister.  
Hikaru: B-But what about the rest of it?! What about my family?! Why stop now?!  
Natasha (snapping): Because I will not have you hurt! That's why!  
(A stunned silence reigns and Natasha looks away.)  
Natasha: Life is full of those unanswered questions-  
Hikaru (jumping to her feet, hands fisted at her sides): But not like this! How can you expect me to accept this?!  
Natasha (her voice tired, choked): What do you want, Hikaru? Do you want me to rip out my heart just so that you can hurt yourself? Knowing the truth will accomplish nothing.  
Hikaru (bowing her head): I-I want so much more...  
Natasha (standing up slowly): I know. God, how I know, baby...  
(Natasha gently grasps Hikaru's shoulders and draws her toward her. Natasha is so sure that the girl will pull away that she is shocked when she has the girl in her arms. Natasha can feel the girl's quiet tears on her neck and she kisses the top of Hikaru's head.)  
Natasha (whispering): Someday, you will understand on your own. When you do, remember that I am always here for you.  
--------------------------------------  
(His breathing is jagged, but nothing that he feels shows in his face. The wind tears at him, but he continues forward. The dead woods rise on either side of him and the rest of the world stretches before him. In his arms, the Third Child lays his cool cheek against his neck. The boy's hand is hanging down, swinging limply with every step he takes. Blood coats the boy's hand.)  
(Shinji's blood.)  
(Shinji is bleeding to death and there is nothing he can do about it.)  
(Except keep walking.)  
Gendo (softly): When you were a baby, you were never one to sleep easily.   
(Silence)  
Gendo: You would cry. You always wanted to be held when you slept.  
(Silence)  
Gendo (his naked eyes looking down at the boy in his arms): Yui would get up, hold you, and sing you to sleep. It was such a simple, aimless song that seemed to change from line to line.  
(Silence)  
Gendo (staggering over a slippery patch of ice, then continuing on): I had important things to work on. The survival of Mankind depended on me then as it does now. I would work long nights while Yui cared for you.   
(Silence)  
Gendo (very softly, his eyes half-closed): She never knew. She never knew that I would come and stand outside your room. I would listen to her sing to you. Quiet your tears. Soothe your soul. And watch over you as you slept.  
(Silence)  
Gendo: Mankind was supposed to come first. Is it so wrong that I wanted something else?  
(A humming in the distance.)  
(Gendo Ikari looks up into the seething sky and like a metal bird-of-prey, a NERV VTOL craft hovers down toward them.)  
Gendo (watching the NERV transport): Yui...would have been pleased...  
-------------  
(He is sleeping now. He looks so peaceful that it is hard to believe that she had come so close to losing him...again.)  
Misato: You are a hard guy to track down...  
(Shinji snores lightly.)  
Misato (determinedly cheerful): Well, we are going to patch you up and you are going to be good as new! Soon you will be at home, eating my cooking!  
(She looks over at the portable heart-monitor next to the field bed. Soon, they would be heading back to Japan and Shinji would be seen at the hospital. Misato is sure he is just going to love waking up there again. Misato looks around the field tent that they had set up. It isn't large, but it is tall enough to walk standing straight up. It is heated and it is secure. There is a medic sitting on a foldable chair by the entrance. He is kind enough to act like he hasn't heard a word.)  
Misato (brushing Shinji's hair back from his face): You hang in there. I'll be right back.  
(She stands up and walks toward the flap of the tent. The NERV camp is set up outside the notorious land of Alaska. She can actually see the moon hanging in the sky, bathing the frosted grass about her feet in a liquid white glow. Misato spots the man she is looking for after a second. The Supreme Commander is standing at the edge of the camp, gazing up at the pre-dawn sky.)  
Misato (quietly as she is walking up behind him): He almost didn't make it this time.  
Gendo (calmly): But he is still alive.   
Misato (grimly): I will not let you drag Shinji into your personal wars! He has enough to deal with without you trying to use him as a human shield!  
Gendo (softly): Was that what I was doing?  
Misato (grabbing Gendo by the shoulder and spinning him to face her): Damned right...?!  
(Silence)  
Misato (hushed): What happened to your face?  
Gendo: ...my glasses exploded.  
Misato (blinking): "Exploded?" I wasn't aware that they did that.  
Gendo: Neither was I.  
Misato: Somehow, I doubt that.  
Gendo: ...just how far are you going to try and push me, Major?  
Misato: ...  
Gendo (folding his hands behind his back): No matter what you mean to the Third Child, you are not irreplaceable.  
Misato: You have to be accountable to someone.  
Gendo: Are you my self-appointed judge and jury?  
Misato (folding her arms calmly under her breasts): I told you before. I don't care about what you do. Except when it comes to the Children. You expect so much of them, yet just how far are you willing to go? Don't you have enough blood on your hands?  
Gendo: ...  
Misato: ...  
(In the distance, the transport is revving up its engines.)  
Misato (turning away): You may want to get your face checked, sir. There's no need for you to bleed all over the aircraft.  
(Gendo Ikari remains behind, watching the Major walk away from him. When he is alone, he sighs and looks back to the moon.)  
Gendo (to the moon): Is this supposed to be...a comfort?   
(Gendo's eyes narrow as a cloud passes before the moon, casting him in darkness. Somehow, Gendo knows that this is something other than a good omen. The Supreme Commander of NERV lowers his head and turns toward the transport. He has work to do.)  
-------------  
(He is a sliver of a shadow against the nightmare backdrop of Alaska. The man is going away, to be transported back to his people. Soon, the observer will be taken back as well.)  
(White hair stirs in the breeze and red eyes flash in the reappearing moonlight.)  
Boy (whispering): Father...  
-----------------------------------   
To Be Continued...  
  
Author's Notes:  
Chapter Seven...ah, the chapter that almost sucked my life out of me! I know there are those who thought I would never finish it. Well, here it is, I hope it didn't disappoint!  
First off, I am going to say this now. I hardly did Natasha's past justice. I needed to explain her connection to Hikaru and her brother. I'm not sure if I will ever tell that story completely, but one never knows with fan fiction.   
I know that there are those who are confused about what happened after Chapter Six. I am a great believer in how the original NGE was told. When Kaji died, you were shown his face for a second, then suddenly he's gone. Obviously, the boy didn't kill Shinji and Natasha, but I never really explained what happened or why he let them live. I believe I will explain that in the last chapter of this series, so I ask for those concerned to be patient.  
Another issue I would like to focus on is the fact that once again music was mentioned. Yui singing to a young Shinji when he woke up late at night. I think the musical side of this story comes from, in part, from the fact that I often write to music. Right now, my favorite CDs are Pink Floyd "Pulse" (yeah, I know it has been out for a while! Sue me for getting it just now!), a lot of movie soundtracks such as "The Rock," "Armageddon: the Original Score," (of course) "Neon Genesis Evangelion: Soundtrack Vol. 2," and "Tenchi Muyo in Love: Soundtrack" (one of my favorites!) If you ever notice a fast paced scene in any of my fanfics, it is probably because of the music I'm listening to!   
The other reason I mentioned music (for those of you who spotted it, good for you!), it is a another plot point. It will make sense, perhaps in the next chapter, trust me!   
Last, I would like to go over the fact that I had Gendo Ikari playing a bit of a...kinder role in this Chapter. I ask you this: If the Commander doesn't give a damn about humanity, then who would he do all this for?  
I would like to thank my prereader: Godsend777 (author of The Death of One) for all the great advice and C&C!  
What's coming up next, you ask? Well, "Chapter Eight: The Value of the Heart/ Specters of the Past" is being constructed, destructed, and rebuilt! It should be out in two to three weeks, complete with that new car smell! Teasers: Nightmares given flesh, a shattered entry plug, and the race of a lifetime! Hope to see you there!  
  
  



	8. The Value of the Heart

-------------------------------  
The Characters and concept of Neon Genesis Evangelion are property of Gainax. I created this "scenario" in the spirit of the TV series. I made it in the hope that it would open up people's minds and give something to a series that really touched me. This little series that I have created is a piece of fan fiction thought up by yours truly, so if you are going to copy or distribute this work, please give credit where it is due, k? Now enjoy!  
-------------------------------  
  
Evangelion: Step beyond the Abyss  
  
Chapter Eight: The Value of the Heart/ Specters of the Past  
By: N. T. Martin  
  
----------------------------------  
Background:   
Okay, if you have forgotten Chapter Seven, because it has been so long, I will forgive you this one time. Therefore, I will attempt to bring you up to date really quick...  
Chapter Seven started out with Hikaru finding a picture of Natasha and Ryo, her brother, while the Lieutenant was recovering from her attack. The revelation was too much for the girl and Lieutenant Karpov awoke in time to see a torn Sixth Child run out of the apartment.   
Later, Shinji is summoned to NERV HQ on for a mission shrouded in secrets. A very worried Misato saw Shinji off while the Third Child found himself drafted for a mission with his father.   
Hikaru begged Natasha to tell her of her past, but in the end, Natasha couldn't bring herself to tell the girl the full truth.  
In the meantime, the NERV transport carrying Shinji and Gendo mysteriously went down in the middle of the Alaskan Wasteland. There, they were hunted by a squad of soldiers sent by Seele. Somehow, the boy who had attacked Natasha was connected to all of this and confronted Gendo and Shinji just before they were about to escape from the hellish land.  
Chapter Seven ended with Gendo missing his glasses and Shinji in Misato's care, however with a bullet wound to the stomach...  
-----------------------------------  
(The eyes are cold. Red. Lifeless. At least, he would like to think so. The man standing on the catwalk before the Creation braces his hands against the handrail.)  
Gendo: So you went over my head...again, Professor.  
(Fuyutsuki turns slowly away from the Creation to gaze at the Commander. Gendo Ikari stands beside the older man, gazing up at the humanoid form before them.)  
Fuyutsuki (slowly): You were being unreasonable.   
Gendo: So you decided to treat me like a child.  
(Fuyutsuki studies Gendo's face for a long moment. It looks like the Commander's face had been used as a scratching post by some enraged cat.)  
Fuyutsuki (folding his arms across his chest, watching Gendo carefully): So...what happened to you?  
Gendo: I had a...encounter with your mistake.  
Fuyutsuki (brows arching): My "mistake?"  
Gendo: Yes...  
(A tense silence seems to fills the chamber and Fuyutsuki closes his eyes.)  
Fuyutsuki: Is it done?   
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki (opening his eyes at the lack of response): You killed him, right?  
(Gendo Ikari turns away from his second-in-command and walks out of the containment chamber.)  
Fuyutsuki (blinking in shock): You...failed?!  
-----------------------------   
Asuka (drawing back, snarling): NO! Absolutely not!  
Hikari (warning): Asuka...  
Asuka (setting her hands on her hips, leaning toward the Class Rep's face): I said NO! You can't make me!  
Touji (groaning): This is ridiculous. Asuka, bite your lip and take it like a man!  
Asuka (her voice like a blast of arctic air): I'm not a man, you idiot!  
Touji (grinning): Well, the report is still not back from the labs-  
Asuka (launching herself at the Fourth Child): You bastard-  
Touji (scrambling so that he is behind Shinji): You can't hit me! Injured man on deck!  
Shinji (looking worriedly from Asuka to Touji): Uh...Touji-  
Asuka (quietly): That was a dirty trick.  
(Shinji looks back at Asuka and is shocked to find the girl stopped, her anger fading away like mist in the sun. Her eyes seem to drift from his bandaged head to the slight bulge under his school-uniform. Another bandage...from the bullet wound. Asuka closes her eyes and draws a slow breath.)  
Hikaru: Come on, Asuka. If I can deal with it, so can you!  
Asuka (turning on the Sixth Child): It is a matter of principle, Sixth Child! I guess that's something you don't know much about!  
Hikaru (shrugging her shoulders): It is a matter of teamwork! You just don't want to try-  
Asuka (scoffing): Yeah, right.   
Hikari: Asuka, if you don't do this, you are going to get a zero!  
Shinji (softly): Think of what Misato would say.  
Asuka (growling quietly over her shoulder): Stay out of this, Shinji... I can't hit you now.  
Shinji: I'm glad you care enough to restrain yourself.  
Kensuke: I don't think so! I believe Asuka just doesn't want to be tried for Murder One!  
(The children are outside on the school's track. Shinji, Touji, and Kensuke are sitting in the grass with the other guys, stretching and talking. Asuka is standing on the grass; a look of pure stubbornness cast on her features. Hikari is standing beside Touji, her arms crossed and her eyes burning with the fires of righteous responsibility. Hikaru is standing next to Asuka, frowning at the Second Child.)   
Hikaru: Could you please put your ego on the side-burner for now?! I don't want to get a zero just because you are feeling so high and mighty!  
Teacher (calling): Sohma, Hikaru. Soryu, Asuka. You're up, ladies! You will be up against Akiko and Ryoko!  
Hikaru (making a little jab with her fist): We are ready!  
Asuka (covering her eyes, groaning): A 500 meter relay... Oh, God!  
Hikaru (turning toward Shinji, her eyes sparkling like twin amethyst gems): Wish us luck, Third Child!  
(Shinji blinks at the girl and feels his cheeks heat at the her sweet smile.)  
Shinji (shuttering): Y-Yeah...  
(The Sixth Child blows Shinji a kiss.)  
Asuka (exploding as she grabs Hikaru's wrist): Come on, Sixth Child! Let's do this stupid race!  
----------------------------------------  
Seele: The man has as many lives as a cat!  
Seele: It would appear that Ikari has the devil's own luck.  
Seele (scoffing): "Devil's own luck?!" Do you think that Ikari will let this slight go without a word...or thought?  
Seele: I believe he will sit back, contemplate the situation, and find the best way to deal this problem.  
Seele: But this man's dealings can very well move mountains and destroy lives!  
Seele: As I remember, you were one to do some destroying yourself-  
Seele: There is to be no talk of pasts here. Watch your tongue.  
Seele: ...  
Seele: It does not matter. The Project is still alive-  
Seele (quietly): Twice now, it has failed. The Sample is not stable! Should it lose control-  
Seele: That will not happen. Should it become too much of a problem, measures will be taken to handle it.   
Seele: I see.  
Seele: Another chapter is about to be brought forth.   
Seele: ...you mean-  
Seele: The Enlightenment has been released. It will be soon now.  
Seele: Very well. We will wait and watch. Perhaps, the Warrior will not be needed.  
Seele: There are guidelines that need to be fulfilled in order for humanity's final destiny to be achieved. We will wait...  
Seele: Yes...  
-----------------------------------   
Hikari (as she jogs up beside Shinji as the class files out of the room for the day): Shinji! Could I ask you a favor?  
(Shinji turns toward the Class Rep, surprised as the sudden request.)  
Shinji: Uh...sure, Hikari. What do you need?  
Hikari (holding up a pile of papers): Rei hasn't been into school for the last few days. I was wondering if you could bring these to her.   
Shinji (frowning in confusion): Rei hasn't been into class?  
(Shinji flushes with a little shame over the fact the he hadn't noticed earlier that day. He was so used to Rei not making a sound that he hadn't thought about the fact that she might, indeed, be missing.)  
Shinji (taking the printouts from Hikari): Definitely. I'll stop by Rei's place on the way home.  
Hikari (smiling): Thanks, Shinji. See you tomorrow!  
(Shinji nods to the girl as she hurries away. Shinji's eyes follow the girl's path and finds Touji waiting for the girl at the end of the hall. The local "tough guy" flushes slightly as the girl grabs his arm and begins to tow him out of the school. He sees Shinji's look and he waves discreetly in farewell. Shinji chuckles softly and returns the gesture. He had never really thought about it, but the Class Rep and Suzuhara look good together.)  
Shinji (lifting the printouts before his face, whispering): Rei...? What is this about?  
(Shinji shakes his head and stuffs the printouts into his book bag. The halls of the school are silent now, as if human beings hadn't been there in centuries rather than a mere few minutes.)  
Shinji (thinking): Something about that...is chilling. Would this place look any different if it really had been abandoned? Does the human race really make such an impact on the world around it?  
(The exit doors appear before Shinji and the Third Child walks out into the sunlight of the outside world. Most of the children have vanished for the day, heading home or to some other destination with friends. Shinji gingerly begins walking, gently rubbing his stomach as he goes. He had used the medical cream Ritsuko had given him for his wound before he had come to school, but every once and a while, the wound would ache.)  
Shinji (thinking): I was...shot. I can't believe that he...   
Hikaru (calling): Hey! Shinji, over here!  
(Shinji stops and looks over to his left. Hikaru is standing on the other side of the track fence. Her hands are clinging to the chain-links as she gazes out at him.)  
Shinji (walking into the grass, before to the fence): Hikaru...stuck with after school practice, huh?  
Hikaru (sighing as she rests her forehead against the fence): Yeah...I won't have to, if Asuka knew how to pass a baton!  
(Shinji smiles despite himself as he remembers.)  
Shinji (smiling): You weren't too happy.  
Hikaru (her eyes flashing fiercely): It's her fault! We could have won, too! Now, the teacher is making us stay after, saying that we need to work on our "teamwork" skills!  
Shinji: Hmmm....  
Hikaru (her violet eyes pleading): You don't believe I need help with teamwork, do you, Shinji?  
Shinji: ...um-  
Asuka (coming up behind Hikaru): So, you are saying that I'm the one who needs help?  
Hikaru (looking over her shoulder): You said it, not I!  
Asuka (growling): If you could catch, we won't be in this fix! You are so stupid!  
Hikaru (turning on the Second Child): Me?! We weren't playing hot-potato, you moron!  
Asuka: "Moron?!" You-  
Shinji: I...uh...will be going now-  
Asuka (shouting over Hikaru's shoulder): Running away, Third Child?  
Hikaru (waving): Talk to you later, Shinji!  
Shinji (hurrying toward the street): Yeah...  
Asuka: What did that mean?!  
Hikaru (walking toward the track, smug): What does it sound like?  
(Shinji hurries away so that he doesn't have to get involved with another fight between the Second and Sixth Children. He knows, in his heart, that his presence isn't always necessary for the two to fight, but at least he doesn't have to hear or see it.)  
---------------------------------------   
(He gazes down at his hands. They are handcuffed several times over before him. While the restrains are pretty meaningless, it was the effect on him that those before him are seeking. He lifts his eyes so that he peers out from under a fall of unruly, white hair. On all sides of him, the beings collectively known as Seele, surround him in the form of rectangular icons. Somewhere, within his mind, amusement flickers.)  
Seele: You failed your task. It was simple enough. Why did you back down?  
Boy: ...  
Seele: Who do you think you are? You are alive on our grace. It is not intelligent to throw that back in our face.  
Boy: What face?  
Seele: ...?!  
Boy (his voice oddly sing-song): I never see face. No face. I sense fear. No face.  
Seele: You sense nothing. You are a puppet. A creation born of our vision. Do you think that you are irreplaceable? Do you believe that you are important to us?  
Boy: I know not. I care not.  
Seele: Perhaps you were taken out of containment too soon. Perhaps, you need to go back.  
(The child's hands ball into fists.)  
Boy: No.  
Seele: You need to learn a lesson. You must know your place in the scenarios.  
Boy (his eyes glowing like twin pools of magna, his voice aching): No.  
(Metal panels that form the floor rattle and creak as the power reaches out and stretches the plates at their very seems. Suddenly, there is a shot and the boy staggers a few steps and collapses to the floor in a heap. A man in a black suit and shades walks out beside the boy. He looks down and sees the bullet lying beside him, crushed beyond recognition. The fading glow of the boy's AT Field is the only clue to what had happened.)  
Seele: Return the Messager to the containment chamber.  
Man: Yes.  
(He leans down and picks the boy up. Casually, the man throws the boy over his shoulder and exits the dark chamber.)  
Seele: This is disturbing.   
Seele: Will he be able to fulfill his part of the Ultimate Destiny?  
Seele: Of that, we are almost certain. We will know soon.  
----------------------------------   
(Knocking)  
Shinji (shifting from one foot to another): Hello? Rei? Are you there?  
(In the distance, he can hear a slow, relentless pounding. He has never liked this place. The apartment building was vacant except for the First Child. Shinji can't understand how his father could even begin to think that this place was right for Rei. Shinji reaches for the handle and gives it a twist. The door opens inward and Shinji almost falls over the small mountain of mail littering the floor.)  
Shinji: ...  
(He shakes his head gathers up most of the mail. His eyes turn from envelop to envelop. Junk mail. All of it. Letters ranging from home insurance to an envelop with coupons to the fast food place down the street to charity letters begging for one unfortunate group or another lay in the boy's arms. Shinji frowns and walks slowly into the main room of the apartment.)  
Shinji (thinking): Why does Rei have such a problem with basic living and hygiene?   
(The room before him is a simple chamber with a bed under the window. A small table sits at the foot of the bed with a glass of water, pills, and a pair of cracked glasses that are very familiar, lay on top of it. Shinji walks closer to the glasses and he brushes a light layer of dust off the lenses with a gentle fingertip. He turns away from the table and looks over at the sink. Dirty dishes sit in the sink's tub. He moves closer and grunts in disgust as he sees a cockroach scurry out of his sight.)  
Shinji (voice thick): Oh, Rei... You shouldn't have to live like this.  
(Shinji turns away from the sink and walks into the bathroom. There is no bathtub. Merely a simple shower stall that is crusted with mildew. On the floor, piles of used towels lay heaped around the stall.)  
Shinji (quietly): I'm getting sick here...  
(Shinji looks around the corner of the bathroom door and finds a small closet. Within, he spots several shelves piled with brand-new towels. Shinji tugs the old price tags off with a flick of his wrist and carries an arm full back into the bathroom. He folds the towels carefully on the shelf in the corner of the room and gathers up the wet towels off the floor. He looks down at them and sighs as he realizes that he is going to have to have these washed, but he doubts Rei has a washing machine handy. Finally, the boy sets the towels down next to the door for later.)  
Shinji (picking up his book bag): Now, where is she?  
(There is silence, broken only by the distant pounding. Then, he hears it. A gentle note that seems vaguely familiar to the Third Child.)  
Shinji (walking slowly toward the door): What is that?  
(He comes out into the walkway again and is drawn toward the staircase once more. The sun is setting and soon it will be dark. Shinji knows that Misato will wonder where he is, but somehow, that has been pushed away for now.)  
(Shinji comes to the rooftop and he looks around. The place is sad, cracked, and worn. It was one of the older buildings in Tokyo-3. Shinji gazes about for a moment, then he sees her. Rei has a flute held gently to her lips. She is sitting on the edge of the rooftop, emptiness behind her. She does not notice this. She plays a song that seems to tug at Shinji's mind.)  
Shinji (softly): Rei?  
(She continues to play, her eyes closed, her fingers moving with simple eloquence that seems her, yet not her. Shinji walks slowly toward her. Once again, as he had so long ago, he sees something about her that reminds him of a...mother. Rei doesn't move when Shinji kneels before her. Shinji's fingers reach out and touch her shoulder almost without him knowing what he is doing. The song stops suddenly and Rei's eyes blink open.)  
Rei: ...Shinji?  
Shinji (looking carefully at her face): How long have you been up here, Rei? I was told that you haven't been to school in several days.  
Rei: I...haven't?  
(The First Child seems confused by that. Her eyes look down at the flute resting in her lap.)  
Rei: Perhaps... Time...goes quickly.  
Shinji (smiling gently): Well, sometimes. Come, let's go back to your-  
Rei: I do not wish to return to that place.  
Shinji (standing, blinking down at Rei): Huh?  
Rei (closing her eyes): I do not wish to go back to the place for me.  
Shinji (surprised): You don't?  
Rei (her hands wrapping tightly around the flute): ...  
Shinji: Well, I never did like your apartment.  
Rei (looking up at Shinji, studying him): Why?  
Shinji (blushing): Ah...well-  
Rei: ...  
Shinji (looking seriously down at Rei): Because you deserve better. You have that constant pounding...and your apartment is a mess.  
(Rei looks down and Shinji can see a faint blush touch her pale cheeks.)  
Rei: ...I know it is unkept. ...I don't care.  
Shinji (touching her shoulder again): Rei, I was once told that the place where you live is a reflection of the condition of your soul. If your home is a mess, then that speaks something of your personal vision of yourself.  
Rei (staring at the ground): ...  
(Shinji crouches down so that Rei is forced to meet his eyes. She seems a little surprised by this and gazes back at him curiously.)   
Shinji (whispering): If we found you a nice place...would you care? Would you keep it nice?  
Rei: ...  
Shinji: It-It pains me to see you like this. Would you take care of yourself if you were in a nice place?  
(Neither Child notices the continued, constant pounding as it seems like silence grows between them. Yet, it is a silence full of meaning...and a fumbling of understanding.)  
(Then, Rei reaches up and her fingers drift tenderly over Shinji's cheek.)  
Rei: You care...with no expectations of getting anything in return.   
Shinji: Rei...you know you are very important to me.  
(Rei blinks and her cheek color slightly once more.)  
Rei: You said that once...  
Shinji: Yes.  
Rei (her eyes turn away, as if searching): I didn't understand, then.  
Shinji: ...  
Rei: I still don't...but...  
Shinji: "But?"  
Rei (meeting Shinji's eyes once more): I...I want to understand...this warmth I feel.  
(Shinji smiles and stands once more. He offers his hands to the First Child. She stares at the hand for a long moment and Shinji wonders if she would refuse his help. Then, her delicate, cool hand takes his and he helps her to her feet.)  
Rei: If I were to live in a place...where I belong...I would...  
Shinji: ...?  
Rei (very softly): I would cherish...that place.  
Shinji: Well, then, I will find the best place in all of Tokyo-3 for you, Rei.   
(Silence)  
Shinji (bowing his head, very softly): I will never forget you again...  
(Rei says nothing, but Shinji gasps when he feels Rei take his hand in hers. It is a simple touch, yet, it comforts Shinji in ways that he can't begin to understand or explain. He doesn't question it and lets Rei led him off the rooftop. Somewhere in his mind, he wonders at the song Rei was playing. It had touched a part of him he had forgotten about. It has been a very long time since he remembered what it was to be a young child. It is that part of him that wonders...)  
------------------------------------------  
(It is a body that is far too thin. It is the sort of body that is reminiscent of the horrors of past wars. Wars where purity of blood and race were ideals that drove men and women to treat their fellow human-beings as objects. The creature towers over the forest that surrounds it, its flesh a sickly green. Its bony hands hang at its sides as if they are too heavy to be lifted by their owner. Its waist and hips are the same, narrow width and it walks slowly, dreamily through the trees before it. The entity's head lays against its chest for it is very heavy for the slender neck beneath it.)  
(Animals in the forest begin to drop like so many flies as the Entity passes by.)  
(The Entity's black, stripped head has the symbol of a single eye etched on what would be a human's forehead. The symbol glistens in the sunlight like freshly-spilled blood.)  
---------------------------------------  
(The breeze feels good. The park is pretty empty except for the occasional jogger. Touji leans back against the bench, shuffles his shoes in the gravel path, and gazes at the sky. The sky is empty except for a few birds.)  
Touji (thinking): ...God, this is an empty world.  
(His left hand is resting on his left knee.)  
(Silence)  
(Touji's eyes slowly turn toward his hand. His fingers move ever so slightly on his sweatpants, as if reacting to his gaze.)  
Touji (thinking, a cynical grin twisting his mouth slightly): NERV...I don't think about them, much, anymore.  
(Silence)  
Touji (thinking): It is for the best. I don't want to think about such...horrible things.   
(He turns his left hand over and looks at his palm.)  
Touji (thinking): If I do think about them...I usually end up thinking about me.  
Hikari (softly purring): Touji...  
(Touji snaps out of his strange mood and finds Hikari standing beside him, an ice cream cone in each hand.)  
Touji (blinking): I would have bought you ice cream if you had said so.  
Hikari (sitting closely next to Touji on the bench, handing him his cone): That's why I didn't say so.  
(Touji reaches for the cone with his left hand, stops, then takes the cone with his right. His fingers brush Hikari's and she almost drops the cone.)  
Touji (chuckling): Easy, there, Tiger.  
Hikari (blushing): Y-You startled me, that's all.   
(Touji looks over at the girl as she tentatively licks the top of the swirl of vanilla. She closes her eyes in pleasure and licks again. The shear innocence of the girl shocks the Fourth Child. When he had first met her, she had been bossy, stiff, and a little cold. Perhaps, Asuka was to blame for putting a little fire in the Class Rep's personality. While, that very fire had burned him on several occasions now, it was good to see her like this...simply enjoying life.)  
(He had never thought he would be sitting in the park, on a bench, with the bossiest girl in school. If someone had told him that all those months ago, he would have laughed...then beat the living daylights out of them.)  
(Touji looks down at his own ice cream cone and winces as he realizes that he has let it alone for too long. A small stream of white, sticky liquid has trailed from the cone and was in the process of wrapping around his right wrist.)  
Touji (licking his wrist): Oops!   
Hikari (eyes closed, calmly): Klutz.  
Touji (shaking his head ruefully as he licked a path around the entire swirl): Yeah...sorry.  
Hikari (opening one, sparkling eye): Don't worry. It's a part of your charm.  
Touji: ...you have strange tastes.  
Hikari (smiling): Lucky you.  
(Touji blinks and slurps at his ice cream thoughtfully. His eyes don't see the cone anymore. His mind is far away...)  
(FLASHBACK: The room is cast in a pale, sterile light. Two bars are on either side of him, but they aren't much help.)  
Touji (softly): I can't do this...   
(The boy is hanging, his legs crumbled under him, the bars caught under his arms.)  
Touji (growling): I didn't realize how hard it would be!  
Hikari (gasping): Touji!  
(Touji lifts his head and turns it toward the girl. She is still in her school uniform. She is rushing toward him, her eyes huge.)  
Touji (grunting, trying to push himself up): I-I'm fine.  
(His very pale, left arm trembles weakly and Touji almost falls flat on his face. She is there, suddenly. Her face before his, her hands under his arms.)  
Hikari (scolding): Why are you doing this yourself?! What is wrong with you?!  
(Touji leans his right hip against one of the bars and pushes the girl away from him.)  
Touji (grimly): I'm fine-  
Hikari (batting his hand away, hissing): Like hell you are! Where are the doctors?! Where are the nurses-  
Touji: They stepped out for a moment. I'm not a baby-  
Hikari (stepping closer to him): You sure act like one sometimes.  
Touji (bracing his left hand again): I don't need help-  
(The left arm gives out again, but Hikari is there this time.)  
Touji (snapping): Damn it, Hikari-  
Hikari (crying out): Stop it!  
(Touji is stopped dead by the grief in the girl's voice. He gazes at her, confused. Hikari takes a slow breath, then opens her eyes and looks up into Touji's face.)  
Hikari (quietly): You don't have to do this alone.  
Touji: ...  
Hikari: I'm right here.  
(Her hands take hold of his waist.)  
Hikari (her eyes darker than normal): If you fall...I will catch you.  
Touji (sighing, closing his eyes): You will be the death of me, Hikari.  
Hikari (softly): I'm not done with you, yet.  
Touji (grinning despite himself): Yeah, I can see that.  
(Silence)  
(Touji sets his feet carefully and braces himself on the bars once more. His arms tremble, but Touji takes his first step. Somehow, it doesn't matter if he makes it to the end of the bars anymore. The fact that he is trying is enough...)  
(Present)  
Touji (thinking): She never asked... She knew about...  
(He glances at his left hand.)  
Touji (thinking): ...She knew about that...yet, she never questioned it...or me.  
(He looks over at the girl again and she frowns at him.)  
Hikari (slightly concerned): Is there something wrong? You have hardly touched your ice cream.  
Touji (sighing): Nothing's wrong. How could there be? All is right with the world.   
(Touji passes the ice cream over to his left hand and continues eating. For the first time since he had gotten there, he lets himself enjoy the feel of Hikari's shoulder braced against his and tries to believe his own words.)  
-----------------------------------------   
(The gentle hum of the EVA surrounds him. His eyes are closed, as if in mediation.)  
Shinji (thinking): Myself. Alone. I am here, alone. I should be afraid, yet, I am...comforted here.   
(The boy's eyes slit open and he gazes down at the clouds and the green earth far below him.)  
Shinji (thinking): I'm am alone here.  
Beyond that.  
Shinji (thinking): EVA.  
Beyond that.  
Shinji (thinking): ...the others.  
Loneliness is a matter of perspective.   
Shinji (thinking): But that doesn't make it any less real. Humans were built to be alone.  
So sure of that, are you?  
(The image of Touji and Hikari flashes in his mind's eye. Shinji leans his head back and gazes up at the fuselage projected over his head.)  
Shinji (thinking): Okay, perhaps there are those that are well suited to other people. Hikari is...a people person. She likes being around others. It is what makes her such a good Class Rep.  
(Shinji smiles as he remembers how the girl had chewed him and the other Stooges out over the past months. They always managed to get on her bad side...somehow. She was like Asuka in many ways, including the fact that she could cut you to the wick with her tongue. Yet, she had a natural kindness that glowed in her eyes when she looked at her fellow students.)  
Shinji (thinking, smiling slightly): Touji doesn't deserve such a keeper. Lucky guy...  
(Suddenly, the holographic screen beside the boy's face flashed and he finds himself staring at Misato's face.)  
Misato (neutrally): We are almost to the drop-site.  
(Asuka's face flashed up beside Misato's.)  
Asuka (growling): About damned time! I was getting bored in here!  
Hikaru (her face grinning as it appears beside Asuka's): So the Queen must be entertained, huh?  
Asuka (her eyes turning toward Hikaru's screen): And just what does that mean?  
Hikaru (gazing at her left hand, as if she can see her fingernails): You are good at drawing conclusions.   
Asuka (leaning toward Hikaru's image): No, I want you to spell it out for me.  
Hikaru (her eyes sparkling): As your highness commands-  
Misato (sighing): Can the chatter, you two. We are on a mission. This is not the time for this.   
(Her eyes flash.)  
Misato (quietly): And don't think I didn't hear about the "problem" you two had in gym class this morning. We will have to have a serious talk about this when you all return.  
Hikaru (softly): ...it wasn't my fault...  
Asuka (scoffing as she crossed her arms and turned her gaze away): Whatever...  
Shinji (training his eyes on Misato): Our mission...what's going on, Misato?  
Misato (nodding, relieved to be back on track): This.  
(A map hologram flickers to life in Shinji's plug, under the Major's face. Dark green indicates thick forests, while lighter greens showed open fields, and lines of blue represented rivers and streams. The computer-generated camera begins to zoom in on the 3-D landscape.)  
Misato: This is the forest area twenty-four kilometers south of Tokyo-3. At one time this place had been a farming community. During...the initial attack of the Sixth Angel, this place was a part of the...damage path.  
Asuka: ...  
Misato: No one lives there now. It was not long after the incident that the community uprooted itself and moved inland.   
Shinji (quietly): At least there are no civilians to worry about.  
Asuka: ...  
Misato: Yeah...  
(The map flashes and a stick-like figure appears, moving slowly through the area.)  
Misato: This is your target. It has been moving at a casual pace toward Tokyo-3.   
Hikaru (after watching it for a moment): It's on a Sunday stroll!  
Misato (grimly): So it would seem.   
Misato (thinking): They never seem to be in a hurry to get anywhere. Is it confidence...or is it that they just don't care?  
(The computer camera zooms past the Angel and forward through the Entity's predicted path.)  
Misato: The Angel will reach Tokyo-3 in about four hours if it maintains this pace. However, we are not going to give it a chance to get that close. We are going to knock it out before it ever even hits our borders!  
Asuka (smirking): Piece of cake! Look at this thing! It looks like it should be in a wheel chair or bed-ridden!   
Hikaru (studying the map and the Angel's projection): It does look rather skimpy, doesn't it?  
Rei: Be careful.  
(A shocked silence rules the communications net.)  
Shinji (cautiously): Rei?  
Rei: Caution would be a wise practice with this enemy.  
Misato (gazing at the First Child's image): Rei...is there something you would like to share?  
Rei: ...  
Misato: ...  
Asuka (chuckling): Wonder Girl is just getting cold feet! Don't worry so much, Rei!  
Rei (her crimson stare turning on the Second Child's image): Nothing is as it appears...Asuka.  
(Again. She did it again. Asuka feels the hairs on the back of her neck raise. What is it about Rei that inspires such awe...or discomfort. It is more than simply her demeanor. It was almost like she knew...something you didn't. Asuka really doesn't like that feeling.)  
Asuka (giving a shaky, confident shrug): Whatever.  
Rei: ...  
Misato (biting her lip): You will be dropped in fifteen minutes. Sit tight.  
Asuka (muttering): As if there's anywhere for us to go.  
----------------------------------   
(Misato sighs and leans back in her seat, pretending that she hadn't hear that last bit from Asuka. The distant roar of the B-969's engines called to her from behind. Another away mission. It isn't like she has much of a choice. It was either go to the Angels or let the Angels come to Tokyo-3.)  
Misato (muttering): It's not really a choice, if you ask me.  
(The overhead PA system chimes and the pilot comes on.)  
Pilot: Major, you have a communication from NERV HQ.  
Misato (her brows lifting): Really? Patch it through.  
Pilot: Yes, ma'am.  
(Misato reaches over to the bulkhead next to her head and dislodges the phone there.)  
Misato: It's me.  
Ritsuko: Misato, I thought you would like to know that Natasha has returned to active duty.   
Misato (rubbing her forehead as if she could rid herself of the headache that was building by doing so): I see. And...  
Ritsuko (quietly): The Commander has called her to his office.   
Misato: This could be interesting. It will be a miracle of she isn't court-marshaled for that stunt in Terminal Dogma.  
(Misato braces her cheek on her palm and gazes at the empty, metal trimmed bench across from her. She is hardly in a first-class cabin. While the engineers responsible for the EVAs' transports did an excellent job creating an aircraft capable of carrying the mechas easily, they kind of fell short when it came to adding those little creature comforts for the passagers. Misato looks around the dark cabin, at the steel gratings overhead, at the simplistic, slip-proof treads on the floor, and thought about what she would give for a nice, pool-side lawn-chair near a beach somewhere.)  
Misato (closing her eyes): Ritsuko, I know she's a pain in the butt...  
Ritsuko: Yeah?  
Misato: But could you...  
Ritsuko (under her breath): Here it comes...  
Misato: Could you watch out for her, Ritsuko.  
Ritsuko (slightly cynical): Do you realize just how much trouble she's in, Misato?  
Misato (sighing as she gazes down at the floor): I know... Somehow, I feel it's not necessarily her fault-  
Ritsuko (scoffing): Not her fault?! You're joking, right? The woman had a blood trail tracing all the way back to the Terminal Dogma Records Chamber. The fact she even got into the area is enough to have her face a firing squad!  
Misato (growling): You aren't telling me anything I don't already know! It's just that...I get the feeling that...her hand has been forced. You can't forget who she was sent by.  
Ritsuko: True, but-  
Misato: And there's Hikaru...  
Ritsuko: ...  
Misato: Do you know how hard it was to tell the girl that her guardian had been stabbed within the confines of NERV Central?  
Ritsuko: Okay...I'll see what I can do. But, you will owe me.  
Misato (grinning despite herself): Just put it on my tab.  
Ritsuko (chuckling softly): You know I'm going to have to collect someday.  
Misato (pulling a lock of her hair before her face, frowning at it): Maybe, someday, I will be able to pay you back.  
Ritsuko (seriously): Take care, Misato.  
Misato: I'll see you soon.  
(The connection breaks and Misato is alone once more.)  
Misato (thinking): Split ends...damn, I had better start taking better care of myself...  
----------------------------------  
Natasha (quietly): What are you going to do to me?  
(The two are alone in the Supreme Commander's inner sanctum. The Commander is behind his desk, eyes hidden within the glare of his glasses.)  
Gendo: ...  
Natasha (rubbing her shoulder self-consciously): I know I messed up bad.   
Gendo: ...  
Natasha (her eyes flashing fiercely): But it wasn't so bad that it warrants this! A person has a right to know what is to become of her!  
Gendo (softly): You think you have rights here?  
Natasha (closing her eyes): If not for me, then think of Hikaru-  
Gendo: The Sixth Child is not my concern.  
(The Russian woman gapes at the Commander for a long moment, then she surges forward and slams her palms on his desk.)  
Natasha (snarling): You goddamned bastard! How can you say such a thing?! Don't you realize that you need all the help you can get in the war against the Angels?!  
Gendo (his head lifting slightly, as if measuring her): You seem to have a strange idea of what is going on here, Lieutenant. I am the Supreme Commander for a reason. I know what is going on. I understand the fate of Mankind.  
Natasha (stepping back, seemingly drawing back into herself): If the fate of Mankind is in the hands of one so cold, then perhaps survival was never the issue.  
Gendo: ...  
Natasha (crossing her arms under her breast slowly): I don't care about your personal issues or vendettas. All I care about is Hikaru. She is...important to me.  
(The Lieutenant is shocked when she hears something like a smirk from the Commander.)  
Natasha (her eyes blazing): You think I'm not serious?!  
Gendo (his face a mask once more): Actually, I find it amusing that people feel it necessary to tell me that they don't give a damn about what I think or feel.   
Natasha: ...  
Gendo (lowering his head like a bull ready to charge): However, I feel it necessary to point out to you, Lieutenant, that you had better take certain things into account when dealing with me.  
Natasha: Isn't your mind made up, yet?  
Gendo: As before, you must think of more than just yourself.   
Natasha (her jaw flexing): Are you threatening me?!  
Gendo: No. I am stating a fact. Haven't you wondered, yet, as to why I let you come here under your own power? Why you weren't escorted in here as a common prisoner?   
Natasha: ...  
Gendo: ...  
Natasha (very quietly): ...what do you want from me?  
Gendo: Not much.  
Natasha: That, I find hard to believe.  
Gendo: Someday, I may call upon you to perform a certain mission.   
Natasha: Really...  
Gendo: You know things. While it may not seem important now, I assure you, a time will come when it will be very important.  
Natasha (looking away): I don't-  
Gendo: When the time comes, you will carry out the mission. Of this, I'm sure.  
Natasha (facing Gendo, her eyes cold): Am I dismissed?  
(Gendo nods his head slightly and the Lieutenant marches out of the chamber. Gendo continues to gaze after the woman for a long moment, then turns his chair away to gaze out at the Geo-Front.)  
------------------------------------  
Hikaru (almost secretively): There it is...  
(Shinji lifts his head from his chest and looks up. He can see it from his EVA's position beneath the B-969 transport.)  
Asuka (surprised and a little insulted): That's it?! They dragged us all the way out here for this?!  
Misato (scolding): Asuka, don't let your guard down! This is still an Angel we are dealing with!  
Asuka (growling, pointing her finger at it): But it looks like it should be on its deathbed! I'm shocked it can stand, much less walk!   
Misato (warning): Asuka...  
Asuka (crossing her arms under her breasts, looking at the Entity down her nose): A good breeze should be enough to knock it over!  
Misato (sighing): Well, in any case, prepare yourselves! EVAs release!  
(Shinji feels a slight jar, then he is in free-fall. He closes his eyes and concentrates on not losing his lunch in the LCL. He is sure Asuka would have some nasty comment about that and it would be a topic of discussion in class for weeks to come!)  
Shinji (opening his eyes, thinking): That is, if we make it through this alive...  
(Green, full branches are rushing up to greet his EVA. Long experience and training take over and Unit 01 brings its legs up to its chest. On his audio-pickups, Shinji can hear the sound of his EVA crashing through the thick brush. Dirt, shattered branches, and stone spray in all directions as Unit 01 touches down.)  
Asuka (smirking): Rookie! Can't even land on your own feet!  
Hikaru (grunting): Shut up, Second Child.  
(Unit 01 straightens from its crouch into a standing position and sees that Unit 04 had plowed into the earth like some out-of-control sled. Only now was Hikaru bringing her mecha to its feet.)  
Shinji (concerned): Hikaru, are you okay?  
Hikaru (her smiling face flashing up next to his face): Sure! It takes more than a little spill like that to take me out!  
Asuka (muttering darkly): She probably did that on purpose just to attention.  
Hikaru (her face turning toward Unit 02): I'm not you, Asuka!  
Asuka (shrugging, her image suddenly flashing up on Shinji's other side): As if! I don't need to do anything to get attention! Right...Ikari?  
Shinji (flushing): Um...well-  
Hikaru (snorting): You are so conceited!   
Asuka: And you-  
Misato (snapping): Guys, remember? Mission, battle, Angel...Hello?!  
Rei: Caution, it comes.  
Asuka (snarling): Well, what are we waiting for?!   
(Ignoring the OSPE cord awaiting her EVA, Asuka has Unit 02 reach over to the weapon pod that had landed beside her. It pops open at the touch of the Unit's hand and Asuka grabs an automatic rifle from within. Unit 02 snaps the rifle smartly up to its shoulder and sights down the barrel.)  
Asuka (grimly): Ridiculous creature...  
(The rifle rattles and tracers fly toward the Entity. The team gives a collective gasp...)  
(Pause.)  
(Silence)  
(The Angel staggers a few steps back and collapses to the forest floor, sending a cloud of dust into the sky.)  
Asuka (smirking): You've got to be kidding! What did I tell you, Misato?!  
Misato (confused): That was surprisingly easy...  
Hikaru (sighing): Can we go home now? As nice as the area is, I would like to go get something to eat. Hey, Shinji, how about some ice cream?  
Shinji (eyes narrowed, focused on the cloud, whispering): It was never this easy...  
(Suddenly, Shinji hears Rei give a little cry of pain. He turns his head rapidly toward Unit 00. It is a little hunched over with a palm cupping its forehead.)  
Shinji (worried): Rei? What's wrong?  
Rei (choked): I-It's in my head-  
Shinji: What-  
(It hits him like a wave of liquid fire. Suddenly, he feels like he has a million thoughts racing through his head at once, overloading his ability focus or concentration on a single, simple thought. His sense of balance is gone and the world warps and twists before him. Then, Asuka and Hikaru are hit by the mental wave.)  
Asuka (hysterical): NO! Not Again!!!!  
Hikaru (her voice cracking with pain, Unit 04 reaching weakly toward Unit 02): Asuka...you're not...  
(Another wave hits and Unit 04 stumbles to its knees.)  
Hikaru (tears flowing from her eyes): Y-You...are not...alone...  
Asuka (covering her face with both hands): ...help me...oh, God, HELP ME!!!  
Shinji (whispering): ...Asuka...  
(The Third Child turns his wavering gaze toward the Angel and is shocked to see the Entity on it is feet again. Its head is lifting from its chest and Shinji's lips move in agony and disgust.)  
(The Angel has a mouth.)  
(The Angel throws its head back and howls. The sound-waves ripple through the air and the EVAs are hit by it an instant later.)  
Asuka (growling, her voice uneven): Y-You...BASTARD!!!  
(Suddenly, Shinji's view of the outside world is replaced by the angular, red warning signs of an Error that cover the walls of the entry plug completely.)  
Shinji (trembling): What-  
(An instant later, the back of Units 00, 01, 02, and 04 explode open and the plugs fire away from the EVAs. Shinji blinks in shock, Rei lays her head back, Hikaru sighs with relief as the presence withdraws from her mind, and Asuka...)  
Asuka (screaming, refusing to believe she has been defeated so easily): NOOOOooooo!!!  
(The plugs rocket away on trails of white smoke. The Angel watches after them for a moment, then lets it head fall back to its chest and...waits...)  
------------------------------------------   
Maya (quietly): The Angel has taken up a defensive position. Its not moving, sir.  
Fuyutsuki (growling): Damn, its got our people pinned down and there's nothing we can do about it! What the hell was that?!  
Shigeru (his fingers racing across his console board): Unknown, sir. The EVAs were hit by some sort of telekinetic wave. The readings were off the scale!   
Gendo (quietly, his hands folded before his face): The Enlightenment.  
Fuyutsuki (glancing down at the Commander): And you let our people walk right into it.  
Gendo: It's early.  
Fuyutsuki (grimly): I don't think that the Angels give a damn about our time tables.  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki (softly, folding his hands behind his back): What now? The Angel seems to be waiting. We are helpless without the Evangelions.  
Gendo: ...there is always the UN-  
Fuyutsuki (hissing): You would turn the mission over to the UN?! At this stage?!  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki: ...  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki (taking a step toward Gendo): Sir-  
Gendo: Take Unit 03 out of Stasis. Have the pilot brought to NERV Central.  
Fuyutsuki (nodding): Sir-  
Gendo (almost as an afterthought): And have Unit 01's Dummy system uploaded into Unit 03's plug.  
(Fuyutsuki pauses at the door of the platform and his hands ball into fists. Then, finally,)  
Fuyutsuki (very quietly): Sir.  
(Gendo continues to gaze out at the main screen before him. It could be his imagination, but it seems like the Angel is watching him...but without eyes.)  
----------------------------------  
Hidaka: ...  
Touji (taking a sip of tea, eyes closed): ...  
Hidaka (leaning forward, bracing her elbows on the kitchen table, her brows lifted): ...?  
Touji (opening his eyes): What?  
(The two siblings are sitting at the kitchen table, eating dinner. Steaming food is sitting in small, earthen bowls and Touji has been making an effort to keep himself from looking his little sister right in the eye.)  
Hidaka (leaning forward): Don't take that tone with me! So, did you do as I told you to?  
Touji (shoving some rice into his mouth): And I told you, I don't do that mushy stuff!  
Hidaka (shouting): Touji!  
Touji (looking at her over the rim of his bowl): What?!  
Hidaka (crossing her arms across her chest): A girl finally takes interest in you and you don't even make an effort!  
Touji (scowling into his rice): ...  
Hidaka (sighing): And I gave you such good advice-  
Touji (growling): You are only seven years old.  
Hidaka (waving that away with a flick of her wrist): And you are fourteen, so what?  
Touji: You don't seem to understand. This situation is...complex.  
Hidaka (resting her chin on her palm): What's so complex about it? Hikari likes you. You like Hikari...right?  
Touji (sighing slowly): You don't understand. There are some things...that she knows... I don't want to talk about it, Hidaka.   
Hidaka (snorting): ...boys are stupid.  
(The doorbell chimes and the girl hops to the floor with a roll of her eyes.)   
Hidaka (calling loudly at Touji): I'll get it!  
Touji: ...  
Hidaka (softly): Idiot.   
(She trots down the hallway to the apartment door and opens it.)  
Hidaka (blinking in surprise): Who are you?  
(Touji lifts his head at the shock in his sister's voice.)  
Touji (calling): Hidaka?  
Unknown voice 1: Is your brother here, Hidaka Suzuhara?  
Hidaka (shaken): How do you know my name?  
Unknown voice 2: Is Touji Suzuhara in the household? Is he out with friends?  
Hidaka (shouting): Who are you two?!  
Unknown voice1: We are NERV.   
Hidaka (gritting her teeth, very quietly): ...what do you want?  
Unknown voice 2: Is your brother here?  
Hidaka (taking a step forward): Will you-?!  
Touji (resting his hands on her small shoulders): Enough, Hidaka.  
(The Fourth Child gazes at the two men in black suits before him. Despite the fact that it is night, the two are wearing shades. In the pale light of the hallway lamp, the two men's faces look like they are carved in stone for all the animation they show.)  
Touji (quietly, never taking his eyes off the agents): I will handle this, Hidaka.   
(With gentle strength that the girl tried to resist, Touji pushes Hidaka behind his back. Even as he urges her silently to return to the kitchen, his little sister refuses to leave his side. She peeks out from behind his elbow, glaring viciously at the two vaguely featured men before her.)  
Touji: What is it?  
Agent 1: Your presence is required at NERV Central.  
Touji: Why?  
Agent 2: It is imperative that you come with us immediately.  
Touji (narrowing his eyes): I see. Hidaka-  
Hidaka (screaming): You AREN'T going with them!!!  
(The little girl's arms wrap around his waist and she presses her face against Touji's back.)  
Touji (closing his eyes): Leave us...for a moment.  
Agent 1: We will be outside the door.  
(The two file out of the apartment and close the door behind them.)  
Touji: Hidaka-  
Hidaka: Don't say everything is going to be okay. It's never okay!  
Touji (turning so that he could hug his sister): Are you saying that I shouldn't go?  
Hidaka (weeping openly against his chest): Yes.  
Touji (stroking her dark hair): If I don't go, something horrible is going to happen.  
Hidaka (rubbing her face against his shirt): We could go away! We could-  
Touji (quietly): What about your friends? What about their families? What about...  
(His voice cracks and he hugs Hidaka tighter.)  
Touji: What about Hikari?  
Hidaka: ...  
Touji: I must go...  
Hidaka (whispering): I know.  
Touji: I will come back.  
Hidaka: ...  
Touji (breathing deeply, letting his sister go): I-I will see you later-  
(The Fourth Child turns and begins walking toward the door.)  
Hidaka (very softly): Big brother...  
(Touji pauses and looks over his shoulder. Hidaka walks over to the hallway closet and pulls out his light jacket. She walks back and hands it to him.)  
Hidaka (tears in her eyes): I-It is getting cool out. H-Hikari would have my hide if I let you go out without a jacket.  
(Touji smiles and shrugs into the jacket. Then, he leans down and kisses Hidaka on the cheek.)  
Touji: I'll see you later.  
(Touji turns and walks out the front door, closing it very quietly behind him. The silence is complete within the apartment. The girl stands there quietly for a moment, then turns and walks slowly into the kitchen.)  
(She gazes at the dinner sitting out on the table and knows that she should wash it all up and put the leftovers in the fridge. Somehow, she can't bring herself to clean the traces of her brother away. The little girl turns away from the kitchen hurries into her room. The furry, plush bears sitting on her shelves give her no comfort.)  
(Hidaka turns to her bed and finds the big, clumsy-looking Panda doll her brother had won her at an arcade a few months ago gazing at her. With a little cry, the girl throws herself on the bed and wraps her arms around the fat bear, curling about it as if to shield the memories the doll holds.)  
Hidaka (whispering into the bear's fur): Come back...  
----------------------------------   
(His mind comes back to him slowly. Something is wrong. What is it? Why is it so hard to breathe? Why does he feel like he is choking?)  
(Shinji opens his eyes and he is surrounded by darkness. Why is it so dark? What is wrong? The Third Child activates his plug suit's wrist lamp and the weak light illuminates the walls of the entry plug cockpit. The smooth, plated view-screens are opaque now, no longer giving him a view of the outside world. It is like he is in some complex, techno-coffin.)  
Shinji (his thoughts sluggish and vague, thinking): What...is wrong... Why can't I focus?  
(His eyes drift lazily over the walls of the plug and he finds himself gazing at a huge gash in the plug's wall.)  
Shinji: W-What-  
(Shinji suddenly is seized by a fit of coughs. He tries to breathe and finds his lungs refusing the LCL.)  
Shinji (frantic, thinking): W-What's going?! Why can't I breathe?!  
(There is darkness outside the gash. The darkness is mixing with the orange-tinted fluid of the LCL. Shinji's brows furrow in thought, wondering at this phenomena. Then, there is something in front of his face. It has huge eyes, a big mouth, and it is zooming in on him. Shinji screams and bats at the monster. The fish is terrified and flutters away, out the gash.)  
Shinji (breathing, coughing): A fish...a fish?!  
(Shinji's mind races.)  
Shinji (thinking): Fish don't live on land.  
They can't live outside of water for more than a few minutes.  
Fish don't live in air.  
Fish don't live in air...  
Fish don't live on LAND!!!  
The darkness...water...  
(Shinji curls over on himself as he begins coughing violently. Bubbles explode from his mouth and his tearing eyes watch them in horror.)  
Shinji (terrified, thinking): How long have I been out?! How long has the plug been flooding with water?!  
(Shinji rapidly unbuckles himself from the seat, floats over to the side of the command chair, and reaches for the emergency release lever for the hatch. He jerks the lever and small explosions ring the hatch's seam. The hatch remains in place.)  
Shinji (thinking): Ohmygod! Ohmygod! The hatch is jammed!   
Shinji (screaming): Hel-  
(Shinji chokes on the water and finds he can't bring anymore air in. Shinji turns his eyes to the gash and reaches for it. He braces his hands on the narrow gash only to jerk his hands away. He looks down and he can see his own blood flowing into the water. The gash is jagged and extremely sharp. There is no way he can get out that way...)  
Shinji (thinking): Help! Help! Someone! Someone help me!!!!   
(Shinji reaches out to the walls of the plug, his mindless hands searching for some miracle exit from this watery grave.)  
Shinji (thinking): Someone...Misato...Asuka...Rei...Hikaru...Ritsuko........Father!!! Someone...please...  
(Shinji can feel his lungs heaving. He needs air...)   
Shinji (thinking): ...some...one...oh God......mother...  
(Shinji's hand reaches out to hope as his vision begins to dim. There is a sound. Somehow it is familiar. There suddenly a light over him and kind, delicate hands reach down to him. Hair drifts carelessly about an eternal face. Lips mouth something...something...)  
"You are safe now..."  
(Shinji's eyes roll back in his head and the light is gone.)  
-----------------------------  



	9. The Best Told Lies Are (Chapter 8.2)

-------------------------------  
The Characters and concept of Neon Genesis Evangelion are property of Gainax. I created this "scenario" in the spirit of the TV series. I made it in the hope that it would open up people's minds and give something to a series that really touched me. This little series that I have created is a piece of fan fiction thought up by yours truly, so if you are going to copy or distribute this work, please give credit where it is due, k? Now enjoy!  
-------------------------------  
Evangelion: Step beyond the Abyss  
  
Chapter 8.2 - The Best Lies Told Are.../ A passing whisper, "The Place Where I Belong"  
By N. T. Martin  
  
-----------------------------------  
Background:  
A long, long time ago...there was the beginning of a chapter of SBTA. It was the eighth of its kind and far larger than any of its predecessors. Due to its length, the author believed that the only way to present this to fanfiction readers everywhere was to divide the chapter into two parts. The first part, published on the Net Oh-so-long ago...ran along these lines...  
In the beginning, Shinji found out that Rei had been missing a great deal of school without his conscious knowledge. Concerned and a little guilt-stricken, the Third Child sought out Ayanami.   
In the meantime, the mysterious Child of Seele was questioned for his failure to eliminate the remains of the Ikari family. When proving to be less than polite, Seele dismissed him from their presence, his future in the balance.  
Back in Tokyo 3, Shinji comes to Rei's apartment, only to find the girl on the roof of the apartment building. She is playing the flute given to her by Misato, oblivious to the world around her until Shinji approaches her. Her sudden resistance to the idea of staying at the apartment any longer pushed Shinji to offer to have her moved to a place where she "belonged."  
We were suddenly shown Touji and Hikari on a date of sorts. As beautiful as the park was around him, Touji could not bring himself to enjoy it. In his mind, he was at war with a past that had been beyond his control.   
Once again, the Children are summoned to face an Angel. In flight, Shinji can't help but feel unsure of himself and his abilities. He feels that there will come a time when his luck will just run out.  
Natasha meets with Gendo, expecting to be tried and excluded for her obvious, covert connections with Seele. To her surprise, Commander Ikari comes up with an...alternate course of action.   
On the battlefront with the unbalanced appearing Angel, careless decisions and assumptions cause NERV to lose all four active-duty EVAs in an instant.   
New plans shift into motion and Unit 03 is pulled out of stasis and its pilot was ripped from his young sister's arms.   
Chapter 8.1 ended with Shinji trapped within his plug as it sunk toward the bottom of a lake...  
------------------------------------------   
(In a part of the forest, a plug rests against a grove of trees. Steam drifts away from the plug's exhausted jets and for a moment, all is silent... Then,)  
(LCL sprays rapidly from side vents and the hatch slides open.)  
Asuka (shouting): Goddamn it! I can't believe it!  
(The Second Child glares out at the world from her pilot seat.)  
Asuka (thinking): All I could do was sit back like some spectator as that...that monster shot me out of my EVA!!  
(Asuka stares at the shadows playing with night's darkness on the dirt around her downed plug. Then, with a scream of rage, Asuka tears the red receptors out of her hair and fling them away from her. They spin through the air and vanish into the underbrush. Asuka's hair flows together in a thick mane that trails down her back.)  
Asuka: ...  
(The girl wraps her arms around her up-drawn knees and gazes down at the controls before her. Once again, an Angel had crept into her mind, only this time, it had been filling her head with nonsense and static. The Second Child shivers as she remembers the feel of her brain on fire.)  
Asuka (muttering): They didn't tell us to expect that...  
(Silence)  
Asuka (pressing her cheek against her knee): But, then, they never tell us what to expect. It is almost like they expect us to know what to do!   
I don't know.  
  
Don't ask me.  
I'm playing this by ear!  
Hikaru (softly): Does knowing that make you feel better?  
(Asuka gasps and lifts her head to gaze up. The Sixth Child is standing at the top of the small slope before Asuka's plug's resting place. Hikaru's dark hair is still wet with LCL, causing it to lay flat against her head.)  
Asuka (quietly): You look like a drowned rat.  
Hikaru (her small, wrist lamp reveals a smile threatening the girl's lips): Kind and generous as usual, I see.   
Asuka (standing a little unsteadily): Now is not the time to be politically correct. We have a job to do!  
Hikaru (gesturing to the Second Child's plug): And just what do we have to do? Unless you've missed it, we are without our EVAs now.  
Asuka (picking her way to the ground): We have a responsibility to find the others. Rei will just gaze into space unless you order her to survive...and Shinji will just find himself walking in circles because he doesn't have any sort of sense of direction!  
Hikaru (grinning): I don't know about that... You don't have much respect for the Third Child, do you?  
Asuka (walking up the path that led to Hikaru): Well...I have known him a lot longer than you have.  
Hikaru (touching a finger thoughtfully to her cheek): So...it always comes back to that.  
Asuka (walking past Hikaru): Always...  
-----------------------------------  
Misato (wincing): Ouch! Ouch...ouch!!!   
(Something is burning close by and the Major opens her eyes.)  
Misato (vaguely, trying to understand what was going on around her): What the...hell?  
(If life was fair, she won't have remembered. If life was kind...perhaps, she would never have become a member of NERV. As it was, the answer to her question came suddenly and brutally. They had been shot down...like birds out of the sky.)  
(FLASHBACK: Pilot (over the PA): Major! Serious energy readings from the target!  
Misato (turning away from her holographic view screen, which she had been using to try and contact the Children): What now?!  
Pilot (frantic): Oh my God! It's attacking the transport flight!  
(Misato feels her stomach drop as the realization hits her. It was all a trap. The physical appearance of the Angel had caused her to let her guard down...as had Asuka. She had let appearances cloud her judgment. Now, she could feel the shock-wave of a near by B-969 exploding near her transport.)  
Misato (screaming as she hit the Call button): Pilot, evasive maneuvers!!!  
Pilot (his voice breaking up): Too...late-!  
(Misato doesn't know what the Angel hit the transport with, but it was powerful. Arcs of electricity ripple through the passenger cabin as the power is the knocked out. If Misato hadn't been strapped into her seat via her safety harness, she would have surely flown across the cabin into the metal wall opposite of her as the transport dips wildly out of control.)  
Misato (her hand reaching for the Call button against the violent G-forces pulling at her body): P-Pilot?! Pilot, respond!  
GONE  
Misato (slumping forward in her harness, her hand pressing against her aching brow): W-Who-  
ENLIGHTENMENT  
Misato (images rippled through Misato's skull as if her head were a TV and she had lost the remote to a psychopath): Wh-Why?! Why are you-  
PITY  
Misato (her eyes fluttering as her brain began to flatter under the hotwire link): ...S-Stop...  
HATE  
Misato (her head falling forward): God...  
DARKNESS  
(Present)  
(Misato reaches for the release lever for her harness, but lets out a little cry when she shifts her body. Her eyes search in the gloom and she looks down at her right leg. The overhead grating had fallen and part of it had come down on it, just below the kneecap. She can see the blood welling up from the wound.)  
Misato (whispering in horrible pain): Damn...  
(Pushing the pain away, Misato reaches for the lever and releases herself. Misato touches the hard, cold metal and grits her teeth. She grabs the grate's edge and lifts. A whimper of pain escapes her lips, but she doesn't let go. With her eyes squinting against agony, arms trembling with effort, she pushes the slab of metal away from her and drags her leg out from under it.)  
Misato (gazing down at her bleeding shin): Hurts so damned much...must be broken...  
(Misato looks about herself and finds a little, white plastic case set on the wall several meters to her left. Misato drags herself to her feet, only fall back.)  
Misato (hissing through her teeth): This is going to be a problem.  
(She braces her right hand against the fallen grating in the center of the chamber and tries again. This way, she staggers to the plastic case and pulls it off the wall. She sits down on the bench again and rummages through the first-aid items. She finally pulls a roll of white gauze from the case and wraps her shin very carefully.)  
Misato (muttering): It isn't like I'm not used to this...  
(Something seems to whisper through the cabin of the transport. Misato's eyes are downcast and she is not steady at all...)  
Voice: What?  
Misato (calmly): Pain.  
Voice: Oh, and why is that?  
Misato: Well, it seems like for as long as I've lived, I've had to deal with some sort of pain or another.  
Voice: Really?  
Misato (cutting and securing the bandage): Yeah. When I was a little girl, before I discovered FM radio and headsets, I used to try and shut out the sound of my parents fighting... I wasn't really good at it.   
Voice: They fought a lot?  
Misato (resting her head back against the wall for a moment): More often than not. I hated it. In the beginning, I would think it was because of me...and I cried.  
Voice: You don't cry often.  
Misato (her smile a little sad): Maybe I should try it sometime. It's a great release...or at least it used to be.  
Voice: Maybe.  
Misato (looking around slowly for something that could be used as crunches): As I grew up, I hid myself behind a bright attitude and a blinding smile.  
Voice: I remember.  
Misato (combing her fingers gingerly through her hair, as if to fix the damage done by the crash): It's really funny that I became such good friends with Ritsuko. She was really the total opposite of me. But at least we did share something in common.  
Voice: What was that?  
Misato (standing up carefully on her one foot and hopping slowly over to a place were a long, twisted pipe was poking out from under the grating): Family. It was something that neither of us ever talked about. Oh, sure, I picked things up like the fact that Ritsuko's mother was a bitch. I'm sure that Ritsuko knew that my father didn't come home a lot, especially when my mom was calling me at the dorm once or twice everyday.   
Voice: Maybe Ritsuko thought your mother was just clingy.  
Misato (snorting as she thought of her once dark-haired friend): Ritsuko is hardly the type to be fooled by appearances. That's why she's the Chief Scientist and I'm just a lowly Major.  
Voice: I think you carry your title with the pride befitting a queen.  
Misato (giggling slightly): I would like to think so, too.  
(Misato pulls the pipe free of the wreckage and tests it for durability. When it proves that it can hold her weight, Misato makes for the emergency exit.)  
Misato (softly): Then there was my father...  
Voice: Ah, your infamous father.  
Misato: Yeah. I told Shinji about him once. I guess my dad is nowhere near the bastard that Shinji's father is...but it is something that joins us.  
Voice: As if you need anything more to connect you with Shinji.  
Misato (wiping her cheek and frowning at the blood that smears her hand): I guess...but he still shuts me out every once and a while.  
Voice: Even the closest son needs a little privacy from his mother.  
Misato: ...  
Voice: He's grown up to live by himself.  
Misato (a little bitter): That's no way to live.  
Voice: It might be up to you to show him how to live with others. His dad never was much of a humanist.   
Misato: Neither was my dad. Did you know that I still don't know if he saved me because I was his daughter or because he needed someone to tell the others what had happened.  
Voice: That's horrible.  
Misato (resting her shoulder against the wall beside the emergency exit, panting lightly):Yeah. He never told me that he loved me. Even in the end.  
Voice: Some fathers are like that. It is hard for them to express their love for their children. You never did understand that guys are different from girls.  
Misato (chuckling, reaching blindly for the release hatch): Well...I do know about the most important difference!  
Voice: Ah...Major Katsuragi, get your mind out of the gutter.  
Misato (covering her giggles with a hand): Sorry.  
(The hatch gives away under her hand and the door swings open slowly. The night is silent save for a gentle breeze whispering through the leaves of the surrounding forest.)  
Misato (quietly): I don't even remember my father's face anymore.  
Voice: It was a long time ago.  
Misato: Not that long ago. As it was, I had been wounded and was delirious with pain and grief by the time they found me.  
Voice: ...  
Misato: Ikari...the bastard.  
Voice: Funny how he left for the ship a day before the Second Impact.  
Misato (resting heavily against her crutch): It is.   
Voice: Your father saved you.  
Misato: Yeah.  
Voice: Rather than torture yourself over it, why not just believe that he do so to show that he loved you.  
Misato (whispering): What if it isn't the truth.   
Voice: Who cares? All that matters is what you believe. ...he's not here to tell you otherwise.  
Misato (closing her eyes): That's true.  
-----------------------------------  
(She is standing in the corridor before him in her lab coat, blue, zip-up shirt, and, mini-skirt. Her hands are in her pockets and she watches him...carefully.)  
Ritsuko (quietly): I thought I would never see you here again.  
Touji (hanging back in between his two "escorts"): Did I have a choice?  
Ritsuko (sighing as she shook her head slowly): The alternative was not really one that you would have been able to live with.  
Touji (looking at the metal plating of the wall beside him): You could be surprised by how much I can live with... Actually, I'm sure that you know that much quite well.  
Ritsuko: ...  
Touji: So what now? I'm here. What do you want me to do?  
Ritsuko (nodding to the escorts, dismissing them): Come with me.  
(Touji falls into step behind the doctor. Ritsuko bites her lip as the painful silence grows. Only the light click of her high-heels and the occasional squeak of Touji's sneakers breaks the tomb-like quiet.)  
Ritsuko (clearing her throat carefully): How have you been?  
Touji: ...okay.   
Ritsuko (a little impatiently): And your sister?  
Touji: She's okay...too.  
Ritsuko: How's life?  
Touji: Okay.  
Ritsuko: School?  
Touji: Okay.  
Ritsuko: You have been hanging around with Shinji too long.  
Touji: ...  
Ritsuko: It's okay to feel sorry for yourself every once and a while, but to hold on to it like a lifeline is never healthy.  
Touji: Yes, doctor.  
Ritsuko: ...  
Touji (softly): Did you know that my sister is crying her eyes out right now?  
Ritsuko (closing her eyes): No, I didn't know that.  
Touji: Do you have a family?  
Ritsuko: ...no.  
Touji: Well, I would like to know just how it feels to rip a little girl's last family member away from her? She's not dumb-  
Ritsuko (glancing over her shoulder): You speak like you are already dead.   
Touji (shoving his hands into his jeans pockets): No matter what you think, I'm not Ikari. I don't have some natural ability to deal with monsters and demons.  
Ritsuko: ...  
Touji (quietly): But I will do it. You know why? Because I care about my little sister. She's my life and must live on to see this thing through.   
(Silence)  
Touji: I have one demand, though.  
Ritsuko: Aren't we confident...  
Touji: I-I...  
(Touji searches for the strength that he isn't sure he has.)  
Touji (whispering): I-I want to see...Hikari, one last time.  
Ritsuko (looking over her shoulder): You realize that this is a restricted area to civilians.   
Touji (smirking): I'm sure you can pull some strings or something.  
Ritsuko: ...  
Touji (trying to keep his voice steady): Please?   
Ritsuko (closing her eyes, sighing deeply): I'll see what I can do.  
Touji (whispering): Thanks, Ritsuko...  
---------  
(It seems like he had never left her earlier that same day, and yet it seems like a lifetime ago. She stands at the lake's edge, gazing out at the amber water. The light seems to make the girl glow like a golden skinned sprite, elusive and ready to vanish at a moment's notice. Her eyes are kind and her lips are slightly parted in simple innocence that makes Touji flinch.)  
Touji (moving slowly toward her): ...  
Hikari (sighing, her head bowing): Hello, Touji.  
(Now that he has her here, he isn't sure what to do with her. There are so many things he wants to say to her, so many things he wants to share. It isn't fair. Maybe he is just a coward at heart. A strong man would be able to say what needs to be said and move on to face his destiny.)  
Touji (whispering): I'm no better than Ikari...  
Hikari (turning toward him): Well, you do have trouble from time to time saying what you mean.  
(Touji's eyes drink in the sight of her. She is wearing a forest green sweater and a black, knee-high skirt. It is the sweater that makes her eyes look black and her face pale. Maybe she just really was pale. Touji turns his eyes away because he can't look into hers any longer.)  
Touji (quietly): Something that always scared me about you-  
Hikari (blinking): You were afraid of me?  
Touji (smirking at himself): Yeah...a little. Do you know why?  
(Hikari silently shakes her head.)  
Touji (forcing his eyes to look into hers): You have always been so strong. You always seem to know what to do. People look up to you to do the right thing and be a force of guidance.  
Hikari (blushing slightly): Touji...  
Touji: I have never really taken myself seriously. You know, like I have you to keep me in line so I don't have to worry about that.   
Hikari (turning away suddenly): Is that all I am to you? Some safety net to ensure that you don't go over that simple line of common decency?!  
Touji (slowly, his eyes confused): No...actually, I think it is that part of your nature that...held me back. We are so different from one another. Maybe...I was afraid of being anything more to you than some charge that you had to keep an eye out for.  
Hikari (staring at the lapping water before her): ...  
Touji (remembering his sister with a small smile): But, I have enjoyed my time with you... I never really knew there was another side to this bossy, old Class Rep. I'm glad I knew you.  
Hikari (her shoulders trembling, whispering): Touji...  
Touji (running shaky fingers through his hair): But...I have one more thing to ask of you...  
Hikari: ...  
Touji (his jaw flexing as he searched for the right words): I...that is...Hidaka...you see...  
(Touji sighs.)  
Touji: Could you watch out for my baby sister? As much as she would like to think she is old enough to take care of herself, she still needs a little guidance from time to time. A helping hand if you will...  
Hikari (whispering): What are you saying?  
Touji (looking away): I have...things...I-  
Hikari: You said you never had to do such things again... You assured me that it was over!  
Touji (a cynical grin tilting his mouth): I guess...I spoke too soon.  
Hikari (shouting): How could you?!  
Touji (blinking): Huh?  
Hikari (spinning away so she didn't have to face him, choked): How could you even think about piloting again?! You barely walked-came away alive last time!  
Touji (whispering, reaching out to touch Hikari's shoulder): ...because I have to.  
Hikari (spinning back to him so his hand fell away): Why?! You explain this to me! You have all the answers! Tell me why?!  
Touji (shocked): Hikari...you are crying...  
Hikari (wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand): ...so what if I am... You can't ask this of me...not again.  
(Touji suddenly realizes that he is lousy at comforting women. He never has the right words, the poetry that would make it all seem better. Not for the first time that night, he cursed himself for being so clumsy with his tongue.)  
Touji (whispering): Hikari...I-  
(Suddenly, he feels a touch at his cheek and he looks up in time to feel Hikari's lips against his. It is a gentle, sweet kiss that seems to shock Touji into immobility. He can't hear the water or the air filters for the Geo-Front anymore.)  
Hikari (whispering): How long?  
Touji (blinking, trying to understand simple words): ...I-I don't know.  
Hikari (wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her forehead against his neck): Stay with me as long as you can.  
Touji (wrapping his arms carefully around her shoulders): So...you are okay with this-  
Hikari: No.  
Touji: Then...  
Hikari (her voice catching): I will chew you out when you get back.  
Touji (smiling despite himself): I'll hold you to that.  
(He will have to leave soon...there is a briefing waiting, but for the moment, Touji's world is narrowed down to include only one other person...)  
--------------------------------------   
(There is a sweet sound in the air. It seems to make the breeze glow and the flowers in the simple, violet hued vase seem so much more colorful. It was like looking at a rainbow manifested in physical form.)  
Shinji (thinking): What is that?  
(The sound is so familiar and he almost whimpers as the memory hangs just beyond his reach. As it is, he begins to move on unsteady feet. The room around him is so much more bigger than him. The unfamiliar ceiling rises high overhead and the kitchen table next to him towers over him.)  
Shinji (whispering): Where?  
(The song seems to call to him, to guide him, to summon him. Empty rooms lay open to both his right and left as he walks down the hallway. Blinding, bright light burns through the curtained windows, flooding the home with a wash of whiteness. Details seem so much more vague to Shinji's young eyes as he looks about, searching.)  
(More notes, more tenderness turned to music. Shinji finds himself at the room at the end of the hall. The door is partially shut and it seems the light is brightest within this room. Sunlight was never so sickening, yet so sweet.)  
(Shinji struggles with the door and looks into the room beyond. The source of the haunting sound is a woman sitting serenely in rocking chair. Her flowing kimono is wrapped about her slender frame, making her seem more like a wisp of smoke rather than an actual woman. The room is a mere impression about her as the sunlight behind her head blurs her features. She lifts a long, silver flute to her lips and breathes into it. A spinning note is born and Shinji reaches a tiny hand toward the woman.)  
(She lifts her mouth away from the flute and smiles.)  
Woman (gently): What is it, Shinji? Feeling lonely?  
Shinji (whispering, tears springing to his eyes): M-Mama-?  
---------  
Rei (softly): I am not your mother.  
(Shinji blinks slowly and tries to understand what had happened to the beautiful, white-washed room and the woman in the kimono.)  
Shinji (rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand): R-Rei?  
Rei: Yes.  
(Shinji gazes up at Rei and tries to figure out at the strange angle of which he is gazing at the girl. It is then that he realizes that his head is laying on Rei's lap.)  
Shinji (blushing): Rei, why...?  
Rei (quietly, looking away): I...did not wish you to lay with your head on the hard ground.  
(Shinji slowly sits up and holds his head when the world spins about him. He feels cloth against his cheek and looks at his hands. They are bandaged tightly, though there is red coming through still.)  
Shinji (whispering against the strangely silent night): What happened?  
(Rei's hand slid into his field of view, pointing to the lake some thirty meters from their position. The very tip of his plug could be seen on the surface of the water, toward the middle of the lake.)  
Shinji (shaking his head): W-What happened? I thought our entry plugs were supposed to float!  
(Rei's finger drifts to point at the sharply-angled boulders that border the lake. Before Rei's finger, Shinji can make out shards from his shattered plug laying on the ground.)  
Shinji (slowly): I see.  
Rei: I was almost too late.  
(The First Child suddenly comes to her feet and walks away from the lake, toward the small assortment of supplies she had managed to carry from her plug. Shinji gapes at the shards of white armor for a moment, then comes to his feet.)  
Shinji (cautiously, staring at the girl's back): Rei? Y-You sound almost like...you almost failed in a duty...  
Rei: ...  
Shinji (walking slowly toward the girl): I'm grateful...but it is not always up to you to save me, to take the shot when someone has to-  
Rei: I am not going to let you die.  
(Shinji stops and watches the First Child with haunted eyes.)  
Shinji (softly): We all have to die someday-  
Rei: Not now. I won't let you.  
Shinji: Why? No one is ordering you to protect me any longer.  
Rei (quietly): Is it wrong that I want to protect you?  
Shinji (shaking his head as he comes beside Rei): No, but not at the cost of your own life, Rei! There is a certain point where you must think of yourself-  
Rei: No.  
Shinji (spreading his hands before him): But-  
Rei: No.  
(Shinji blinks as he hears something he had not heard in Rei's voice for a long time. He had seen anger in her eyes...once, long ago. He had told Rei that he didn't believe in his father's work. Rei had reacted...insulted. While Shinji was sure that his father would have cared less if he had told the older Ikari to his face, this girl, Rei Ayanami, had struck Shinji for such a comment.)  
(Now she is getting angry when Shinji tells her to think about herself rather than him.)  
Shinji: Why?  
Rei: ...  
Shinji: Why do you care so much, Rei?   
(Rei picks up a nutrient bar and lays it in the palms of her cupped hands. She turns toward Shinji and offers it to him. Shinji glances at Rei's down-turned face and finally takes the bar from her slender hands.)  
Shinji (softly): Thank you.  
(Shinji pauses, then opens the wrapper. The sound of the foil wrapping in the darkness is very loud. Shinji takes the whole bar out of the foil and breaks it into two.)  
Shinji (offering a half between his fingers): Here. You don't eat often enough...do you?  
(Rei blinks at the offered piece of bar and for a moment, Shinji thinks she is going to refuse it. Then, she gently takes the hard-packed, half bar from Shinji.)  
Rei (very softly): Thank you.  
Shinji (wincing as he bites into the bar): Not much on taste...  
Rei (gazing down at the bar as she chewed slowly): No.  
Shinji (looking up at the sky through the branches): I wonder how the others are doing?  
Rei (closing her eyes): We will know soon. It waits.  
Shinji (blinking): Huh?  
Rei (a slight shiver caressing her slender frame): ...  
------------------------------------------  
Asuka (almost whispering): It's too quiet around here!  
(The Second and Sixth Children are hiking through a rather lush area of the forest. Both girls are constantly pushing branches out of their faces, only to be slapped by the next one...well, rather Asuka was getting most of the slapping. She is in the lead.)  
Hikaru (ducking under another flying branch): I've noticed that, too. It's strange. It's almost like-  
Asuka (sharply): Don't say it! I can hardly see as it is! The last thing I need is to think that around the next tree I'm going to stumble across some corpse!  
(Asuka doesn't see the shadow loom just behind her, but she does feels the moist fingertips brush the nape of her neck. She lets out a ear-piercing scream and stumbles off the "path" into a nearby bush.)  
(Hikaru's wild laughter.)  
(The Second Child glares viciously out the bushes at the other girl.)  
Asuka (growling): That was not funny!  
Hikaru (wiping a tear from her eye): Y-You didn't see your....face!!  
(More laughter.)  
Asuka (pushing herself out of the bush, eyes narrowed in the twilight): If you are so confident, then why don't you lead!  
Hikaru (holding up her hands): Oh no, you are doing such a good job!  
Asuka (hissing under her breath as she walks back to her place in front of Hikaru): Idiot.  
(They continue, but Asuka looks over her shoulder every once and a while to make sure that Hikaru is behaving. In the drifting patches of moonlight filtering through the leaves overhead, the Sixth Child's face is all innocence.)  
Asuka (whispering): Weirdo.  
(Silence.)  
Hikaru (softly): Asuka?  
Asuka (snapping): What?  
Hikaru: Do you think Shinji and Rei are okay?  
Asuka (blinking as she slowly pushes a low limb out of the way): ...I don't know.  
Hikaru (wrapping her arms about herself as she looks off into the forest): You couldn't even...sound a little optimistic?  
Asuka: Nothing is for sure.  
Hikaru (whispering): That would almost be too much for me. I-I would want to be there if Shinji...if he-  
Asuka (hissing): Well, you're not with him right now! So you will just have to wait and see!  
(Silence)  
Hikaru (slowly): How would you feel if you rounded the corner and suddenly came upon Shinji's shattered body?  
Asuka (eyes growing wide): ...!  
Hikaru (gently): Would you cry, Asuka-?  
Asuka (firmly): Crying solves nothing! Nothing ever gets done from crying! I...should know.  
Hikaru: But it helps you sometimes. If nothing else, it can clear the air-  
Asuka: It solves nothing.  
Hikaru: ...  
Asuka (looking up into the sky): I pray that you never understand, Sixth Child.  
-----------------------------------   
Touji (softly): I don't understand. I just don't understand.  
Ritsuko (her hands jammed tightly into her lab coat pockets): I'm surprised. You of all people should understand how this worked.  
Touji (peeking over at Ritsuko, stumbling a little when the open lift began to rise): What does that mean?   
(Ritsuko closes her eyes and she feels like she is losing a little bit more of her soul.)  
Ritsuko (thinking): I wish...things were different. They are only children...  
Ritsuko (opening her eyes, watching the neon-pink/orange liquid flow by): There is no easy way for this.  
Touji (blinking): ...no easy way?  
(The lift stops and Ritsuko leads the way to the entrance door.)  
Ritsuko (softly): Through here.  
(She opens the door and it is lit within. Unlike the time with Shinji, Ritsuko had the room prepared before time. Gendo had no personal interest in this...this time.)  
Touji (stepping into the room): I thought EVAs were rare.  
Ritsuko (thickly): They are.  
(The Four Child turns his head and he finds himself staring into the dark vintage of his nightmares. He begins to tremble and his left hand begins to convulse.)  
Touji (whispering): How...?  
Ritsuko (looking at the boy's twitching left hand): I think you know the answer to that.  
(Touji staggers slowly out into the middle of the center catwalk and gazes up at the EVA.)  
Touji (slowly): I saw the video footage. This shouldn't be...  
Ritsuko: ...  
Touji (turning violently on Doctor Akagi): Why did you bring Unit 03 back?!  
Gendo (calmly): Because we had a use for it.  
(Touji spins about and finds Shinji's father, the one that the Third Child never talked about, standing beside him on the catwalk.)  
Ritsuko: ...Commander.  
Gendo (gazing up at the mask of Unit 03): This was a failed project. It should never have been brought back.  
Touji (bringing himself before the Commander, his eyes just below Gendo's): Then, send it back where it came from! You are the high and mighty NERV! Send it back to the Hell you sent it to before!  
(The Commander looks down at the impudent Child before him. His eyes flash coldly behind his glasses.)  
Gendo: That is not an option. You will pilot Unit 03.  
Touji (shouting right at the cold face before him): I refuse! I'm not some wuss you can boss around! I don't give a goddamn about you or NERV!!!  
(With that, Touji spins on his heel and stalks back toward Ritsuko and the door. He had to...get away from this horrible Creation.)  
Gendo (hands folded behind his back): What about your sister?  
(Touji stops, his back still turned to the Commander. His hands ball in to fists at his sides.)  
Gendo (his eyes tracing the contours of Unit 03's head): What about Hikari Horaki? Or your classmates, or their families.  
Touji (his eyes wide with realization, choked): Oh my God...  
Gendo: Do you believe you have a choice?  
Touji (bowing his head): Bastard.  
Gendo: ...  
Ritsuko (taking a step toward the Fourth Child): Touji...  
Touji (quietly): I'll do it.  
Ritsuko: ...  
(The Fourth Child turns and gazes at Gendo Ikari. The man is not looking at him, but rather the EVA.)  
Touji: But God have mercy on your soul if it goes out of control again.  
Gendo (turning away, walking out the opposite door of the chamber): A little too late.  
----------------------------------  
Asuka (gazing on grimly): ...  
Hikaru (quietly): It is kind of like a ghost town.  
Asuka: Yeah...  
(Before the two girls, an abandoned town spreads across the country-side. In the silent twilight, Asuka can't be sure, but she thinks she can see a foot-print the size of a semi-truck sitting right in the middle of a rice field.)  
Asuka: This is stupid. We can go around-  
Hikaru (blinking): But this is the fastest way to get to Tokyo-3. If we go around, who knows how much time we will lose.  
(Asuka growls and begins stalking toward the town. Hikaru trots along behind the Second Child, gazing at Asuka's fierce features in the moonlight.)  
Hikaru (softly): Asuka-  
Asuka (hissing): What?!  
Hikaru: This is it, isn't it?   
Asuka (her back stiff): I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about!  
Hikaru (moving quicker so that she was along side Asuka): I can read, you know! Did you think that I didn't read up on all the Angel Attack reports available before I came here?!  
Asuka (her mouth tightening): Everybody always rejoices whenever I mess up!   
(Asuka cups her hands to her mouth.)  
Asuka (shouting at the top of her lungs): Hey! Everyone! Asuka isn't perfect! Good God! The Bitch is actually human!!!  
(Asuka's voice echoes back at the two as the Second Child lowers her hands.)  
Hikaru: ...everyone makes a mistake from time to time.  
Asuka (choked): Who cares... Do you think that makes any difference to the people that saw my EVA that day? Did you think I didn't...find out?  
Hikaru (slowly): ...find out...?  
(Asuka stops in the middle of the dirt road that leads into the town. Her eyes turn to the overgrown rice fields to the place.)  
Asuka (very quietly): There.  
(The Sixth Child looks across the fields to a shattered shack sitting on the edge of the field. A deep, fumbling footprint overlaps the wreckage.)  
Asuka (walking again, though slowly): Kudo Yuri and Sano Kintaro. I-I didn't know. By the time I saw the shack, it was too late.   
Hikaru: Asuka...  
Asuka (shaking her head, her blue eyes gazing out at the shack): I just...didn't know. My debut fight on Japanese soil...and this happens...  
Hikaru (gently): It couldn't be helped. You were fighting for your life.  
Asuka: ...  
Hikaru: It's in the past now.  
Asuka: I...  
(There is a sound of wood breaking. Both girls jump and look wildly toward the town. A series of curses ring up to them.)  
Hikaru (blinking): That voice sounds very familiar.  
Asuka (striding towards the town): I just hope she didn't find any booze that may have been left behind!  
(The girls jog into town and look about. It is a old, traditional town with simple, sliding wood doors, dirt streets, and slanting roofs. Tattered banners hang over doorways, revealing the locations of former businesses. An lonely, abandoned furin [wind bell] tingles in the breeze.)  
(It is hardly the metropolis that Tokyo-3 is.)  
Hikaru (trotting): Over there.  
Asuka (groaning): Please, don't let her have found any, yet!  
(The two Children come before the door of a restaurant and find a very disoriented Major Katsuragi laying on her back with the shattered door under her, gazing up at the rotting, wood ceiling.)  
Misato (murmuring): Damned, cheap metal!  
Hikaru (looking over at Asuka): What is she talking about?  
Asuka (shrugging with a toss of her hands): In her state, anything is possible.  
Misato (squinting as she lifts her head from the wood floor): Asuka? Hikaru? Is that you?  
Asuka (taking a step forward): Yeah, we're here, Misato-  
(It is then that the Second Child notices the blood. Because of the Major's black skirt and top, Asuka had missed the blood that was soaking the Major's sleek, black dress. For all intents and purposes, it looks like Misato had been used as a doll by some frustrated child.)  
Hikaru (rushing forward): Oh, God! Misato! You look terrible!  
Misato (sighing heavily): You really know how to lift a girl's spirits, Hikaru.  
(Asuka kneels down beside Misato and unconsciously hides her eyes in the dark shadow of her bangs. The invincible Major Katsuragi was sitting there, bleeding to death on the filthy floor of some boarded-up sushi restaurant. Maybe Asuka just didn't want Misato to know that the girl was really concerned...or maybe the suddenly bright starlight was hurting her eyes.)  
Asuka (resting a hand on Misato's feverish shoulder): Hikaru, go see if there is a first aid kit anywhere around here! If that fails, find some sheets or something we can rip up!  
(Hikaru cast a worried glance at the Major then ran off on her mission.)  
Misato (giggling softly): Wow, if you keep that up, you might end up with my job someday!  
Asuka (sitting down on the floor beside Misato, crossing her legs in front of her): As if! Why would I want to be a button-pusher when I'm an EVA pilot?   
Misato (sighing as she lays her head back): Good point. Why would you want to be in a job where you don't put your life on the line on regular basis?   
Asuka (glaring over at Misato): You are a fine one to talk!  
Misato: ...  
(Silence)  
Asuka (very quietly): What now, Misato?  
Misato (closing her eyes): Now, we wait for the sun to come up. It's never good to fight your nightmares at twilight.  
Asuka: ...when has that ever stopped them?  
---------------------------------------  
(It is a presence that he has only felt once before.)  
Maya: All readings normal. No sign of rejection.  
(It is alien...cold with a heart painted in darkness. It is primal, yet vastly intelligent.)  
Ritsuko: Let's take this slow. We cannot afford to have an...incident at this stage in the game. Maya, call up my Lifeguard Program.  
Maya (confused): Ma'am?  
Natasha: What is that?  
Ritsuko (vaguely frustrated at having to explain herself): It is almost like a firewall for high-security database. In this case, it forms a sort of flexible barrier in between the EVA and the Fourth Child.  
(It's funny how people talk about you when they think you aren't listening.)  
Natasha (slowly): Oh...and this does what?  
Ritsuko (sighing sharply): Let's put it this way, Lieutenant. If Unit 04 goes berserk, we can almost guarantee that we can disconnect the pilot and eject him with minimal mental stress!  
Natasha: ...huh.  
Hyuga: Approaching Borderline! Five seconds!  
Ritsuko: The moment of truth.  
(Would it devour him again? Like last time? Would it go on a rampage? Would it hurt someone? What was he doing here?!)  
Hyuga: Four...  
Touji (thinking): I do this...for Shinji...  
Hyuga: Three...  
Touji (thinking): I do this for......Asuka...  
Hyuga: Two...  
Touji (thinking): I do this for my sister...  
Hyuga: One!  
Touji: ...Hikari...  
(It is there. Like before. Dark. Vicious. Like a caged lion. It wants to rip him to shreds.)  
Touji (his eyes fluttering, thinking): Nothing...human made...this...  
Maya (excited): Connection successful!  
Touji (whispering): If it is a success...why do I feel so dirty?  
Ritsuko (her face appearing beside his): You are just feeling the aftereffects of Connecting with an EVA. The feeling will pass in time.  
Touji: ...  
(Within the Command Center.)  
Gendo (his hands folded like a shield before him): Any sign of contamination?  
(Ritsuko turns away from the image of Unit 03 to gaze up at the Commander.)  
Ritsuko (gritting her teeth): No, sir. It appears that the Ego-Barrier is holding this time.   
Gendo (his eyes hidden within his glasses): What is the Fourth Child's synchro-ratio?  
Shigeru (tapping at his keyboard): It is at 60.09%, sir.  
Natasha (a hint of a grin on her lips): Just enough to move his EVA.  
Gendo: Just enough is hardly what we are looking for. Fighting Angels is a task that requires a pilot that is comfortable in the cockpit.  
Ritsuko (thinking): I don't remember the last time Shinji, Asuka, Hikaru, or Rei mentioned that they were comfortable in their EVAs.  
Ritsuko (her back ramrod straight): Sir, we don't have a lot of time.  
Gendo (his attention drawn back to her): How very true.  
Ritsuko (taking a step forward): The EVA works. The pilot is synchronized with Unit 03. Give him a chance to bond with it-  
Gendo (slightly impatient): We don't have time for extensive training exercises just so the boy can get his feet wet! This is what the Dummy System was created for-  
Maya (standing suddenly, her back to Gendo): Sir!  
Ritsuko (startled, looking over at the younger woman): Maya, what-  
Gendo: What do you want?  
Maya (trembling slightly): I-I can't do it!  
Gendo (his glasses flashing in the dim light): You can't...what?  
Maya (her head shaking slightly, violently): I-I just can't do that...again! I refuse to initiate the Dummy Plug System!  
Ritsuko (her mouth gaping): Maya-  
Gendo (coldly): Even if I made it a direct order, Lieutenant? Do you realize that doing so would constitute insubordination?  
(The Command Center is silent. Maya still hasn't turned to face the Supreme Commander. She stands stiffly at her station, Shigeru and Hyuga staring up at her with shocked, but sympathetic eyes. They all remember what had happened on that day, so long ago. Ritsuko suddenly turns to face the Commander again.)  
Ritsuko (firmly): Sir, may I offer a suggestion?  
Gendo: ...?  
Ritsuko: Have the Fourth Child walk the EVA to the transport-  
Gendo: What-  
Ritsuko (pushing forward): If he can become even mildly familiar with the EVA and its workings, then I'm sure we can guide him through the fight.  
Gendo: ...  
(Silence is absolute in the cavernous chamber.)  
Gendo (quietly): I expect results. I am placing the outcome of this mission in your hands, Doctor. Lieutenant Karpov...you will assist her in any way she wishes.  
Natasha (flicking a glance over at the Commander): Yes, of course...sir.  
(Gendo's platform creaks, then lowers out of view. Ritsuko gazes after the Commander for a moment, then turns to Maya, who still stands at the forefront of the Command platform. Ritsuko pushes a shaky hand through her dyed hair and walks slowly over to Maya's side.)  
Ritsuko (gently): Maya-  
Maya (choked): I'm sorry, sempai... I'm so sorry! I just couldn't stand to think about the Dummy System again... I just...snapped...  
Ritsuko (slowly): It's okay, Maya. Why don't you go get a cup of coffee? I will join you in a moment. Everything will be fine.  
Maya: ...  
(The younger woman turns away from her station and walks very slowly out of the Center. Secret looks flicker about the Command towers. Ritsuko ignores them. She turns to the image of Unit 03, her eyes narrowed.)  
Ritsuko (very softly): Don't you dare fail me...  
--------------------------------------   
(He looks around and sighs deeply.)  
Shinji (softly): Rei...?  
Rei: ...?  
Shinji: We are lost.  
Rei: ...  
(The First and Third Children are surrounded by dark, deep shadows. Leaves seem to have become their world and Shinji is finding that it can be a little intimidating to be in a place where nature rules so completely.)  
Rei (reaching out and touching a dew-laden leaf beside her face): It would seem that we were lost the moment we came here.  
(Shinji glances quickly over at the girl, but she seems to be fascinated by the vein-work on the leaf before her.)  
Shinji (bowing his head): I-I'm sorry.  
Rei (her crimson gaze shifting from the leaf to the Third Child): Why?  
Shinji (quietly): I didn't get a chance to look at my instrument panel before I blacked out... Maybe I would have some idea...where...  
Rei: ...  
Shinji (pushing through a grove of leaves): I can't do anything right...  
(A wall of sickly green material lays before appears before him.)  
Shinji (blinking): What the hell-  
Rei (her eyes snapping wide): Shinji! Step back!!  
(The wall of sickly green moves.)  
(Shinji feels his eyes lift even as his mind refuses to believe, refuses to understand what he is looking at. His neck stretches back and he stares. It turns toward the two Children.)  
Shinji (whispering): No...  
(Its body moves with a fluid, dazed grace that is stomach-turning. It is grinning.)  
Rei (her eyes burning): You can't have him.  
(The Angel howls and it is throwing its foot down toward the Children with enough force to flatten trees with the air stream generated alone. The sole of the Entity's foot blocks out the moonlight and Shinji closes his eyes.)  
Shinji (his mind closing down so that only one thought remains): I'm so sorry. I love you, -  
(Rei's scream shocks Shinji even as the Angel's foot comes down with enough force to emit a thunderclap...)  
------------------------------  
Hyuga (shouting as he turns from his station): Activity!!  
Natasha (turning toward him): What is it?  
Hyuga (his fingers dancing, bringing up the holographic Threat Board): The Angel is...attacking.  
Natasha (crossing her arms under her breasts as she gazes at the Board): Attacking what? Trees? Has the thing lost its mind?  
(Ritsuko's face appears on a secondary screen in the Command Center.)  
Ritsuko (annoyance flashing over her sharp features): What is the alarm for?  
Natasha: The Angel is attacking the forest around it. It seems to have gone berserk.  
Ritsuko (frowning): That's bizarre. Have you run scans on the area?  
Natasha (nodding to Shigeru): As we speak.  
(Ritsuko turns from Natasha's image and rubs her lower lip.)  
Ritsuko (thinking): Angels have never really displayed mental instability. They have simple objectives. Simple parameters. It is not normal for an Angel to do something for no reason. Maybe the deformity is more than just physical-  
Natasha (turning back to the view screen suddenly, her eyes wide): Doctor! We have two readings in the Angel's destruction path!!  
(Ritsuko hears a gasp and looks over at Maya, who has been watching after Unit 03 as it made its way toward the EVA elevator. That particular elevator was definitely out of the way, but it was giving Touji a chance to get somewhat familiar with piloting.)  
Ritsuko (slamming her palm on the control console): Damn it! It's not enough time! Any idea-  
Gendo (an icon appearing on a screen beside Ritsuko, his voice coming up over a Voice-Only channel): I have already handled this, Ritsuko. You continue with your...experiment.  
Ritsuko: Sir-  
(The icon vanishes and Ritsuko gazes into space for a long moment.)  
Maya (carefully): Ma'am-  
Ritsuko (very quietly, her back still to the younger woman): How is the Fourth Child doing?  
Maya: ...he has reached the second check-point. One more to go. Your Firewall program is working as expected... Ma'am, why-  
Ritsuko (turning her profile to Maya): 'Why is this EVA so difficult to control?' Was that what you were going to ask?  
(Maya nods silently.)  
Ritsuko (closing her eyes): Unit 03, like Unit 04, was built quite some time after Ikari Yui's passing. Let's say that the...understanding was not put into the later EVAs that the original three had.   
Maya: But, ma'am, Unit 00-  
Ritsuko (very softly): Let's focus on one problem at a time, shall we?  
Maya (turning her eyes back to her readings): Yes, ma'am.  
--------------------------------  
(Shinji slowly opens his eyes and finds that he is in a sphere of fire. He blinks, for he is sure is he is dreaming. His eyes turn and he finds Rei on her knees beside him, her arms crossed before her chest, her hands gripping the sides of her neck. It looks for the world like she is trying to contain something horrible within her. There are tears of agony trailing down her face and she whimpers under her breath.)  
Shinji (whispering): Rei...  
(He looks up and gapes in utter shock. The foot of the Angel is stopped dead overhead, trying to break through the wall of fire protecting the Children.)  
Shinji (slowly): An...AT Field...Rei...  
Rei (choked, her body convulsing): ...run...  
Shinji: No.  
Rei (coughing, her own red blood sprinkling the white material over her thighs): I can't hold...this... I-  
Shinji (softly): I will protect you.  
Rei (whimpering): ...Shinji...no...  
Shinji (moving closer to Rei): Don't be afraid. I am here.  
Rei (her eyes cracking open to cast a glance at Shinji): I understand...now-  
(Suddenly, there is a scream in the air. For a moment, Shinji thought Rei was wailing again, but then, he realizes that the sound isn't even organically made. Shinji looks up in time to see the flight of missiles slam into the Angel. There is no AT Field to stop the rockets from scorching the Angel's flesh.)  
Shinji: Who-  
(He can see a UN rocket platform rolling up onto the ledge beside the two. Shinji turns his eyes away even as he hears the howl. The shock wave washes over and past the two Children as if they were a boulder in the mad rush of a flashflood. Shinji is shocked that he can actually hear the screams of the poor soldiers inside the platform.)  
(Rei gives a little cry and collapses against Shinji. The Third Child catches her awkwardly. It is completely silent in the surrounding forest as the men inside the platform pass from life.)  
(Shinji looks down at Rei and feels a moment of fear until he sees that she is breathing.)  
Shinji (sighing): You took years off my life...  
(He can feel the attention of the Angel on him again. Shinji doesn't look at the Entity. Rather, he pulls Rei's arms around his neck and links his hands beneath her rump. He grunts and staggers to his feet.)  
(The Angel growls and Shinji shivers.)  
Shinji (whispering to Rei's unconscious face resting over his shoulder): Hang on.  
(Shinji bolts with the world turning into exploding footsteps, clouds of dust, and flying hunks of rock. The trees seem so far away...)  
-------------------------------------   
(His head hangs even as the EVA moves forward. He is tired.)  
Touji (slowly): I don't understand how this works. You brought me here, put me through all of this, only to throw my life away?  
Ritsuko (her eyes glaring out from the holographic screen): I didn't say that! Do not twist my words!   
(Doctor Akagi sighs and stares at the console before her. The window displays flicker and pulse before her eyes and she can almost let herself float away. She won't have to care anymore. She wouldn't have duties, responsibilities, or consciousness to deal with. There would be no lies that she had to maintain like so many frail flowers in a garden...)  
(But she had made a promise.)  
Ritsuko (softly): I would like to think after all we have been through, that you would know me better than that.  
(The Fourth Child looks away from her and gazes out at the butterfly control handles in his hands.)  
Ritsuko (her hands trembling slightly before her): I know...it has been hard for you-  
Touji: You don't have much of a bedside manner, doc.  
(Ritsuko flinches and is silent once more.)  
Touji (his eyes staring into space, his mind trapped in the past): You fixed me up...tried to make it so that I would appear to be normal. But you were never there afterwards. You let those cold, indifferent bastards at the hospital handle me! You turned your back on me!  
(Unit 03 came before the Evangelion elevator. The heavy-duty, super reinforced platform sat before the slender Creation in the dim lighting of the access corridor. The EVA's dark form fades into the still shadows.)  
Ritsuko: You don't understand.  
(Touji takes a deep "breath" and forces the EVA to step onto the platform. The power cord detaches itself from Unit 03 with a sudden shower of sparks. The EVA fumbles with the waiting plug sitting in the corner of the platform.)  
Touji: What? You didn't want to see the monster that you had sowed together? What was that movie from the early 1900's that dealt with that? Frankenstein...yes, that's it.  
Ritsuko (suddenly furious): You are not a monster!  
(Touji's eyes coldly refuse to meet hers.)  
Touji: You don't understand how it has been...  
(Silence.)  
Ritsuko: ...I am listening.  
(Touji smirks, but he feels something inside himself... Surprise. This woman. The one who had fixed him up like some broken doll...he had always hated her. Strange as it was, he had never felt any gratitude towards the doctor who had made him...normal.)  
Touji (thinking): Why is that? I should worship the ground on which she walks on! She gave me my life back... What the hell is wrong with me?!  
(The armored panels of NERV flow past Unit 03 as it nears the surface. Touji can "hear" the distant whine of the B-969 transport.)  
Touji: There are times when I just wish that NERV had never found me...  
Ritsuko (her lips twisting slightly, to herself): As least we share something in common.  
-------------------------------  
(The sound of tea boiling makes the silence bearable. Misato is resting against one of the standing walls in the abandoned restaurant. Asuka had found some candles which were now lit about the chamber, revealing the stripped walls, rotting floor mats, and rusting kitchen grills.)  
Hikaru (stepping out into the kitchen): The tea is almost ready.  
(She gazes at Misato for a long moment.)  
Hikaru (softly, twisting her hands before her): I-I'm sorry if I insulted you earlier, Major.  
(Misato sighs and turns her head painfully toward the girl.)  
Misato (her lips threatening to break into a weak smile): Don't worry...Hikaru. I know that you were simply speaking your mind.  
(Pause)  
Misato (grumbling): No matter how painful it may be...  
(The Sixth Child comes to kneel before Misato and checked the Major's bandages. Misato's breathing is a little shaky and Hikaru's jaw tightens.)  
Hikaru (whispering): Why didn't you say anything?  
Misato (frowning tightly): About what?  
Hikaru (her violet eyes seemingly black in the dark candlelight as she gazed closely into Misato's): You are having problems breathing. ...you are bleeding inside.  
Misato (turning her face toward the gaping hole that used to be the front door): T-That...is not important right now, Pilot Sohma. We still have a mission-  
Hikaru: Do you think that defeating the Angel will mean anything to Shinji or Asuka if you die?  
Misato: ...  
Hikaru (her hand touching Misato's): We'll get you out of here. I know it will be tough...but just stay with us, okay?  
(Misato forces her eyes to meet Hikaru's. It is hard to face someone who sees you as you are.)  
Misato (thinking): I must be getting really sloppy if I can't even reassure a 14-year-old girl!   
Asuka (stepping into the restaurant with a bundle of old blankets in her arms): Aren't we getting chummy?  
Hikaru (grinning slightly): Asuka... Just once I would like to hear something nice come out of your mouth when you walk in the door.  
Asuka (dropping the blankets in a heap at Hikaru's and Misato's feet): What do you mean, nice? I'm nice! I'm nice all the time!  
Hikaru (waiting expectantly): ...?  
Asuka (snorting, shrugging it off): Okay, not all the time!  
Hikaru (chuckling): It's a start.  
Asuka (crossing her arms over her waist): There's not much, Misato. This was all that was left. Mein Gott, people are greedy!  
Misato (adjusting position slightly against the wall): Well, I'm sure they weren't thinking about two EVA pilots and a lost Major staying in their humble town when they left, Asuka. We'll make due with what we have.  
(Asuka gazes down at the blankets and she finds her hands trembling slightly at her sides. She balls her hands into fists to stop the shaking.)  
Asuka (quickly): Is that tea I smell?  
Hikaru: Yeah-  
Asuka (spinning on her heel, heading for the kitchen): I'll get it!  
Hikaru (softly): It might not be done yet...  
(Silence)  
Hikaru (bowing her head): Asuka...  
(There is some sudden clanging about the kitchen as Asuka moves pots and the tea kennel around the stove. Then,)  
Asuka (looking down, frowning): What the hell is this?   
-------------------------------------  
(The conference room has a layer of tension that seems to press down on everyone in the chamber. The last 15 hours have not been easy on anyone present.)  
Fuyutsuki (his hair mangled about his narrow skull): This is a very disturbing development.  
Gendo (hands folded before his face): Indeed. The Angels have never, in recent time, attacked human beings directly.  
(Silence)  
Ritsuko (leaning back in her chair): No two Angels are alike. Thus far, every Entity has been unique with its own limits and weaknesses.  
Gendo: ...have you come up with this Angel's weakness yet?  
(Ritsuko glances over at Maya who quickly taps a key next to her hand. The presentation screen at the head of the room flashes.)  
Maya (glancing briefly, nervously over at the Commander before beginning): During the initial contact with the Angel, we detected a definite lack of defenses when Unit 02 attacked.   
Natasha (her cheek in her palm, her finger drawing an invisible design on the table): So we surprised it. So what?  
Ritsuko: So, we may be able to use this slow reaction time to our advantage.   
Maya (quietly): It will certainly help Pilot Suzuhara out.  
Gendo (leaning forward slightly): How is the Fourth Child?  
(Ritsuko studies the Commander for a moment.)  
Ritsuko (murmuring): Well enough. Considering how he hates the Evangelions, his sychro-ratio is pretty high.  
Natasha (softly): He realizes what's at sake. I'm surprised...I had no clue there was more to that boy.  
Ritsuko (her eyes flashing in Gendo's direction): Everyone has their own hidden layers. Some are more apparent than others.  
(Gendo's eyes are hidden.)  
Ritsuko: There is a problem, however.  
Fuyutsuki (his brow arched): "Problem?"  
Ritsuko (nodding over to the geological map that was displayed on the wall): The area. It is pretty flat were the Angel is. A surprise attack will be impossible without some sort of cover.  
Fuyutsuki: I see.  
Ritsuko (folding her hands on the table before her): There's more.  
Natasha (eyes down): This should be good.  
Ritsuko (focusing on the map): There is no life in the forests.  
Natasha: Say again?  
Ritsuko (looking at those around the table): The forests that surround the Angel...they are devoid of life of any kind. It seems that this Entity has a rather...nasty effect on those around it.  
Gendo: The transport flight.  
Ritsuko (her lips tightening): Exactly. We've already taken measures to insure the Fourth Child's safety.  
Gendo: What measures?  
Maya (her finger clicking another key): We have connected a Neutral Noise Transmitter directly to Unit 03's nerve path. The Angel attacks using sound in ways they have never seen before.  
Ritsuko (gesturing toward the screen): Thus, the Transmitter will emit sound-waves to create a sphere of dead noise around the Evangelion.  
Maya (gazing at the small, spherical attachment displayed on the back of Unit 03's neck): However, the design is in no way complete...there is a distinct possibility of failure after anything more than 60 seconds.  
Natasha (gruffly): That's not much time.  
Ritsuko (glaring at the Lieutenant): It's better than nothing, Lieutenant Karpov. It will give Pilot Suzuhara a fighting chance!  
Maya (muttering): All we need is the distraction-  
(Just then, the desk-side phone rang...)  
---------------------------------------   
(Misato would have looked ridiculous with the Hello Kitty phone pressed to her cheek if this had been a normal situation. Unfortunately...)  
Misato (quietly): I'm doing okay and I have two of the Children here with me.  
Fuyutsuki: What is your situation, Major?  
Misato (looking over at the two girls before her): Frankly, sir, we've had our butts kicked. The girls have a few minor nicks and bruises. I think I have a broken leg.  
Gendo (coming onto the line): Where are the First and Third Children, Major Katsuragi?  
(Misato's hand trembles slightly on the phone.)  
Misato (her voice dead): Missing.  
Gendo: I see. You've lost them.  
Misato: Sir.  
(Fuyutsuki suddenly comes back on.)  
Fuyutsuki: In any case, we had brief contact with Pilots Ikari and Ayanami.   
Misato (sitting upright swiftly, wincing at the sudden motion): You did?! Where are they?!  
Fuyutsuki (slowly, as if considering his words): Well, we picked up their readings several clicks from your position.  
Gendo: There was an incident.  
Misato (her eyes narrowing, very quietly): What happened?  
Gendo: The Angel attacked them.  
(The phone slips from Misato's numb fingers as the room spins around her head.)  
Hikaru and Asuka (shouting): Misato!  
(The Major falls unconscious on the hard wood floor. There is silence on the other end of the phone.)  
(The Second Child grabs the phone.)  
Asuka (snarling): What did you say?!  
Gendo (coldly): That's is irrelevant to you, Second Child.  
Asuka (standing up, her eyes glowing viciously): You will tell me what you said!  
--------  
(The Conference Room.)  
Ritsuko: Sir!   
(Gendo gazes at Doctor Akagi for a long moment. The blond woman is standing, her hands balled into trembling fists at her sides. The Commander reaches out and switches over to speaker-phone.)  
(Gendo is watching Ritsuko as he leans back in his chair and waits. He doesn't have to wait long.)  
Asuka (her voice echoing in the small, dimly lit chamber): Explain yourself, Commander!  
(Gendo's tiny smirk is almost missed by Ritsuko. She quickly speaks.)  
Ritsuko: There have been...problems, Asuka.   
Asuka (her voice chilled): What problems?  
Ritsuko (bracing her hands on the table before her): At 21:54 yesterday...the target attacked Rei and Shinji. Despite our best efforts...the two have disappeared from our scanners.  
--------------  
(Asuka looks up and finds Hikaru watching her from Misato's side. Asuka opens her mouth and can feel the words coming despite her disbelief.)  
Asuka (very quietly): So Shinji and Rei have disappeared.  
(The Sixth Child turns her eyes down to Misato and lapses into silence.)  
Ritsuko: It is too early to tell anything.  
Asuka (looking at Hikaru): Sixth Child, go see if you can find Misato a pillow.  
(Hikaru looks stunned at the sudden order, but she doesn't question it as she comes to her feet and walks slowly out the doorway.)  
Asuka: What now?  
(There is a shocked silence on the other end of the line. Then,)  
Ritsuko (carefully): Asuka...I'm sorry.  
Asuka: About what?  
Ritsuko (slowly): Shinji...I know that-  
Asuka (shrugging): People seem to have a strange idea about me and that baka. I'm sure he has somehow saved himself. He never does seem to know when to take a hint.  
Ritsuko: ...  
Asuka (crouching down next to Misato and the phone's cradle): We will contact you again when Misato comes to.  
Ritsuko (quickly): We haven't forgotten you. If the need arises, we will call immediately.  
Asuka (nodding): Whatever. It's good to know we aren't forgotten.  
Ritsuko: ...help's on the way.  
(The connection went dead before Asuka can ask about that parting shot. There is no sound or anything to fill the void of quiet. There are no insects chirping. There are no night birds calling into the darkness. Just the vague, erratic ringing of the wind bell that seems to reassure Asuka that not only was this town abandoned by humankind, but nature as well.)  
(Asuka sighs as she comes slowly to her feet. She glances at Misato, checking to see if the Major was breathing as well as could be expected. Then, she punches the hard wood wall with all her might. The violent crack seems to echo through the vacant restaurant.)  
(Asuka falls to her knees, her bloody knuckles leaving a red trail as they slide down the wood with her. Her shoulders are shaking.)  
Asuka (hoarsely): Not again...  
-------------------------------------  
(Hikaru slides open a household's door. The home is a wreak with moss growing in the main hallway. The shadows hide much of the damaged walls, but Hikaru can see the stars through the gaping holes in the ceiling.)  
(It feels like home.)  
(The Sixth Child shakes her head and steps into the hallway, the floorboards creaking under her weight. She walks slowly through the household, her hands folded respectively before her, as if she is visiting the spirits that lurked there.)  
Hikaru (whispering): She was hurt.   
(She pushes open a bedroom door and finds a moldy futon with a small pillow. She smiles slightly and steps carefully into the bedchamber. Her smile remains until she sees the tiny, forgotten doll next to the bed. It is missing a button eye, but it was well-loved. Its lumpy, thread-worn body spoke of years of hugs and snuggles. Its single-digit hands are stained with remains from tea-parties gone messy.)  
Hikaru: Oh my...  
(The Sixth Child trots over to the doll and picks it up to cradle it gently in her lap.)  
(FLASHBACK: Voice: And this is your big brother, Ryo, Hikaru.   
(Time jumps and a man's head is bowed over red and black armor.)  
(Ryo (choking): Don't worry, Hikaru...it's not your fault... )  
(Present)  
Hikaru (blinking, struck by cold): B-Big brother?  
(A shadow falls over her and she turns to look up into a pair of crimson eyes. Hikaru studies the pale face, the cold, burning eyes...and then she screams.)  
----------------------------  
Voice (concerned): Are you okay? Speak to me, Misato!  
(Misato wants to sleep. She is so tired and the world is so cruel.)  
Voice (pleading): Please, Misato, look at me!  
(Her eyes flutter, then she opens her eyes slowly, focusing with some difficulty.)  
Misato (slowly, not understanding): Shinji?  
(The boy's face comes into focus as the Third Child sighs.)  
Shinji (smiling): Yes, I am here.  
(Her hand comes up, reaching for him. He catches her hand hesitantly between his own.)  
Misato (whispering): Y-You must stay away from Unit 01...  
Shinji (blinking): What are you taking about, Misato?  
Misato (her hand tightening in his): You don't...understand what that thing is...it can-  
Asuka: Whoa, Misato is losing it.  
Hikaru (kneeling before the Major): She has had quite a hard time.  
Misato (shaking her head, closing her eyes as if to clear it): Where are we?  
Asuka (crossing her arms under her breast): The same place we have been for the last three hours.  
Misato (resting her head back against the wall): The town.  
Asuka: Exactly.  
(Misato looks about her slowly and finds all the Children surrounding her. Shinji and Hikaru are kneeling before her while Asuka and Rei are behind them.)  
Misato (sighing with relief): You are all here.  
Rei (distantly): We are not ghosts yet.  
Hikaru (wincing, glancing back at the First Child): I told you I was sorry, Rei. I really didn't mean to scream into your face-  
Asuka (smirking): But with a face and figure like Rei's, it's understandable to think her something other than human.  
Rei: ...  
Misato (frowning): Asuka.  
Asuka (snorting): It's true!  
Hikaru: I think Rei has a beautiful face and a very feminine figure!  
Misato (nodding): There are women I know who would kill to have skin like hers!  
Asuka: Yeah, old, traditional dancers-  
Shinji (looking at Rei): Um, guys?  
(The others glance over at Rei to find the girl's cheeks pink.)  
Rei (very quietly): You embarrass me.   
---------------------------------  
(The Entity lifts its head from its chest slowly, as if every second it uses its neck is an effort.)  
(Silence)  
(The Entity ignores the distant flashing of NERV aircraft and lookout posts. They are not important. The target turns its head toward a mountain range rising out of the purple horizon. It takes its first step.)  
----------------------------------  
(Three places are connected by the simple act of transmitting waves interacting with one another. However, to the people that those waves effected, it makes it feels like they are not so alone.)  
Misato (nodding thankfully to Hikaru who holds the phone to her cheek): So the Angel is on the move again.  
Natasha (studying the Command Center Threat-board): Yeah, it's heading right for you. ETA 30 minutes.  
Misato (sighing deeply): I see.   
Ritsuko (grimly): Your support will arrive in about 28 minutes.  
Misato (cautiously): Our "support"...what sort of support is this? We know what sort of results we get when we pit our best weapons of war against these things. It just doesn't work.  
Ritsuko (leaning back in her chair, letting it roll slightly): I think this time it will.  
Misato (very quietly): ...what did you do?  
Ritsuko (closing her eyes to the sight of the tiled ceiling): Do? Rather, you should probably remember the time you couldn't tell Shinji about a certain pilot.  
Misato (her eyes snapping wide as they turned to the Third Child): ...no...  
Shinji (leaning forward): What's wrong, Misato?  
Ritsuko (rubbing her eyes with her hands): I would suggest you focus on the mission, Major. Let the boy hate you later, but let him do his job.  
Misato (whispering into the phone): You have no clue how painful that can be...  
Shinji (his eyes growing dark with concern): Misato?  
Misato (forcing a girlish laugh): Oh, it's nothing, Shinji! It's just so distracting to have such a handsome guy concerned for my safety!  
(Shinji looks around for a moment, then blushes brightly as he realizes what she had said. He quickly sits back on his heels again.)  
Shinji (searching for something to say to take the feminine attention off of him): ...o-oh!  
(Asuka smirks, Hikaru giggles, and Rei turns her eyes back to Misato. Misato sighs secretly and turns her attention back to the conversation on the phone.)  
Misato (seriously): So...do we have a plan? You aren't going to send our "support" in on a suicide mission...are you?  
Ritsuko (glancing at Maya who was briefing Touji on the operations of the assault rifle and Progressive Knife): No...we have taken precautions this time, but we are going to need your help.  
Misato (chuckling darkly): There isn't much we can do on this side. Moving mountains is definitely out!  
Natasha: Major, do you remember the last Angel Attack that occurred in the area you are in now?  
Misato (flashing a brief, unseen glance at Asuka): Yeah...?  
Natasha (crossing her arms under her breasts): What do you remember about the geography of the place?  
(Silence)  
Misato (slowly): The dam...  
Natasha (a grim grin appearing on the Lieutenant's lips): Exactly.  
Ritsuko: We have found that the way that the Angel attacks, while vicious in its single-mindedness, is flawed for the very same reason.   
Misato (frowning): Meaning?  
Natasha: The Angel can't focus on two things at once.  
Misato (gaping as understanding dawned): You want us to blow the dam.  
Ritsuko (looking up at the image of the inverted EVA under the B-969 transport): You were always a quick one, Misato.  
(Misato breathes heavily for a few moments, drawing a frightened glance from Hikaru. Misato offers a weak smile to the Sixth Child.)  
Misato (softly): What about us? As I remember from the original briefing, this town is in low country. It will become heavily flooded should the dam go.  
Natasha (nodding): Exactly the point. You are going to have to move to higher ground.   
Misato (eyes locked with Hikaru's): I'm not sure we can do that.  
Natasha: ...  
Ritsuko: ...just how banged up are you, Misato?  
Misato (whispering): The air is really hard to breathe around here...  
Asuka (raising a brow at that): What are you taking about, Misato? This is the country!  
Misato (wincing): That's the point, Asuka.... I'm a city-girl.  
Asuka (shaking her head, muttering to herself): Weirdos...all of them.  
Natasha: This could be a problem.  
Ritsuko (staring at a point in front of her): Can you walk?  
Misato: Not very well.  
Ritsuko (thinking): What if she d-?  
Ritsuko (folding her hands in her lap): Do any of the Children know?  
Misato (rolling her eyes toward an opposite wall, as if searching for a calendar): The Sixth...  
Ritsuko (nodding as if coming to a decision): Okay, you don't have much time. You are going to do it like this...  
-------------------------------  
(The sun is just now peeking over the ridge of mountains, casting a pale, orange glow on the town below.)  
Misato (leaning heavily on a crutch that had been found in one of the houses): ...we are going split into two teams here. Asuka and Hikaru, you are going to be doing a lot of running. We don't have much time and you two are the fastest of us all.  
(The Major turns toward Shinji and Rei.)  
Misato: Shinji and Rei, you two are going to be responsible for the dam. Shinji...you will be in charge of supervising the effort.  
Shinji (nodding as he looked around at the others): Okay.  
Misato (pausing for a breath): Your suit's communication bracelet runs on battery pack. All of your suits have about twenty-five minutes of life at full-power. Which means...  
(Misato shivers slightly under the thick blanket Hikaru had wrapped around her shoulders.)  
Misato (firmly): All of you are to restrict suit activation to when you need to! Meaning...no communication and no heating.  
Asuka (setting her hands on her hips): Misato! It's freezing out here! These things are skin-tight and without power it will feel like we are running around buck-  
Misato (scowling): Deal with it, Asuka! You will be running so you won't be feeling it too much!  
(Asuka snorts and looks away to the horizon.)  
(Misato sighs and points down at the miniature model at their feet with her finger. A salvaged doll house represents the town, while a pile of twigs is the dam, and a rock is the dam's local office.)  
Misato (muttering): Rei...  
Rei (quietly as she kneels down next to the model): Yes, ma'am-Misato.  
(The Major smiles tiredly at the girl's attempt to work on familiarity.)  
(Rei picks up Misato's two ear-studs off the dirt and waits.)  
Misato: Hikaru will head for the dam's administrative office that is southeast from this location. Hikaru, within, you should find the safe in the main office.  
Hikaru (frowning): How are you so sure-  
Misato (watching Rei's hand move Hikaru's token to the rock): The dam's sponsor left the area in a hurry. The office is intact. In the safe, you will find master codes that is essential to this mission.  
Hikaru (staring at the rock): How will I get inside the safe?  
Misato (shaking her head as if to clear it): When you reach the office, you will activate your suit's battery and get in contact with Lieutenant Karpov at NERV HQ. The MAGI will have found the code by then...we hope.  
Hikaru: God...  
Misato (her eyes flashing dramatically): Once you have successfully opened the safe and gotten the code books, you will run northwest, toward the dam. Half way there, you will hand the code books off to Asuka-  
Hikaru (grimacing): Why can't I take the books all the way to the dam?  
Asuka (snapping): Because you can't be trusted with something so important, rookie!  
Misato (calmly): Actually, because you will have run over three kilometers by now, at your best speed. We need someone fresh to run the rest of the way and handle the operation at the dam.  
Hikaru: But-  
Misato (her voice a shade softer): And I will be evacuating toward the landing zone just beyond the mountain range for pick-up. It is a lonely trip...all alone.  
(Hikaru pales slightly at that and looks closely at Misato.)  
Hikaru (whispering): Misato...shouldn't you be doing that. It isn't-  
Asuka (exploding): Oh, for God's sake, Sixth Child! Misato is a big girl! She can handle herself! Now, then, the important part of the mission...  
Misato (sighing): Asuka, it will be your job to get the code book from Hikaru and get your butt over to the dam. It will, then, be up to you to find the code for the emergency release on the dam's gates.  
Asuka (blinking): Say again?  
Misato (grimly): We are going to flood the area. Since the Angel is heading this way, we are hoping that it will be at the very least distracted by the sudden rush of water. If we are lucky...maybe our backup won't be needed at all.  
Shinji: Misato?  
Misato (waving her free hand at Shinji): Oh, nothing! Just thinking aloud!  
(Misato shakes her head again.)  
Misato (glancing at Rei, who now had Asuka's token over the twigs): Rei, it will be up to you to ensure that the opening mechanisms operate properly. Do all you can to make sure those gates open when they are supposed to.   
Rei: Yes.  
Misato (gently): And...be careful.  
Rei: ...  
Misato (bringing her heavy gaze upon Shinji): Shinji, you will be posted at the ridge of the dam. It will be up to you to tell Asuka when to open the gates. Timing will be key here and we are only going to get one shot at this. Make sure it counts.  
Shinji (smiling wanly): Sure thing, Misato.   
Misato (shivering): And...keep focused.  
Shinji (blinking): Of course.  
Misato (nodding with finality): Okay, people. Let's do this!  
-------------------------------------   
Shigeru (looking up from his console at the main screen ahead): Satellite locked. Ready for drop.  
Natasha (standing behind Shigeru and Hyuga): What about the Children? What about their locations?  
Hyuga: We are still having severe interference from the Target. For that reason, we have designated an area near the dam for drop. Shinji and Rei should just be starting their hikes now.  
Natasha (nodding): Very well, drop the OSPE.  
Shigeru (his fingers rattling out the commands): Commencing OSPE drop. Two minutes until package is on-site!  
---------  
(High above, the NERV OSPE satellite holds its position over. The crimson NERV logo on the vessel's hull glows like fire in the light of the rising sun. The bottom of the satellite opens like a pupil gazing out into complete darkness and an OSPE package locks into place. The black, domed heat-shielding of the OPSE lowered out the bottom of the vessel. Suddenly, a massive mechanism like the pump-action handle of a shotgun rises upon the top of the satellite and hammers down. The package fires out of the bottom of the satellite with an explosion of sparks. Several dozen retro-rockets flare to life, keeping the satellite from drifting off into outer space.)  
(The OSPE package has already become a burning firefly against the blue world underneath it.)  
--------  
(She is a shadow dancer against the rising sun. Golden fields of long grass sways before her, slapping against her slender thighs as she sprints on toward her designation. Her body only now is warming up. The plug suit wasn't much against the chill of early fall without the heat-element flowing through super-slender veins in the lining.)  
Hikaru (turning her head toward the mountain range, thinking): That sound...It is a already coming! Oh, God! Is it hunting us?!  
(Hikaru shakes her head violently and jumps over a small pool of sitting water that had appeared before her. A second later, her foot sinks in to her ankle in a patch of pudding-like mud.)  
Hikaru (gasping): Damn it!  
(She staggers as she pulls herself free.)  
Hikaru (fiercely, thinking): I'm not scared! I'm not!  
(Her frantic breathing.)  
Hikaru (thinking): Why would I be scared?!  
(A distant, relentless thud of approaching footsteps.)  
Hikaru (glancing over her shoulder, eyes wide, thinking): Oh, Shinji...  
(Just then, the world heaves under Hikaru's feet, knocking her to the ground again. A sound like a thunder-strike comes right behind the impact and a rush of heat flows over Hikaru's back.)  
Hikaru (pushing herself to her hands and knees, looking over her shoulder): My God! What was that?!  
(A distant cry echoes through the valley. It is not human or even sorrowful. It is a cry of defiant challenge.)  
Hikaru (thinking): I have to keep moving!  
(A small, single story building appears before the Sixth Child and she breaks away from the field, her feet slapping against an aging, abandoned road. Cracks and potholes covered the black-top like age-spots. Hikaru races to the building and tries to open the door, but it is locked.)  
(The Angel makes a sound like laughter. There is a harsh rush of sound and suddenly Hikaru feels the air punched out of her lungs. The Angel's head is peeking from behind one of the mountains. It is grinning.)  
(Hikaru falls onto her side with her numbing fingers reaching for her bracelet. The click of the Call button seems very far away.)  
Hikaru (coughing weakly): Help...me...  
---------  
(A screen beside Touji's face flickers to life and he finds himself gazing at Ritsuko.)  
Ritsuko (quickly): Touji, we have a problem!  
Touji (blinking): W-What-  
(Suddenly, the arms holding Unit 03 release and Touji is in free-fall.)  
Touji (screaming): What are you doing?!  
Natasha (her face appearing beside Ritsuko's): I-It's Hikaru! That-That goddamned creature is killing her!  
Touji (eyes snapping wide): What?!  
Touji (thinking): Hikaru...that sweet girl that has a thing for Ikari.   
Natasha (her voice on edge, blinking rapidly): Her life-signs are dropping!  
Touji (trying to get his EVA's feet under him): W-What am I supposed to do?!  
Ritsuko (a map appearing under her face): We are putting you down several kilometers from the Target. In the weapon pod, that will land with your EVA, you will find a Solo NR-244 Rocket launcher.  
(The blueprints and image of the weapon appears on a window under her face.)  
Ritsuko (calmly): With the Solo you will target the Angel and let your presence be known-  
(The earth rushes up to greet Unit 03 and the EVA tumbles across the ground like a rag-doll. A warning chime sounds and the active power-time clock begins to tick down.)  
Touji (growling as he urges his EVA to its feet): This is impossible!  
Touji (thinking): Oh, God! I'm sorry, Ikari-  
Ritsuko (scowling): It is not impossible, Touji! The pod is about 143 meters from you. Get up!  
Touji (snapping): Okay! Okay, you witch!  
Ritsuko: ...please, hurry...  
(Unit 03 comes unevenly to its feet. Its slender frame sways as its inexperienced pilot attempts to move it toward the silver pod with the NERV logo emblazoned on its side.)  
Natasha (her voice dying): Heart-rate slowing.  
(Touji grits his teeth as it seems like the EVA wants to resist his commands.)  
Maya (her voice in the background): I can't believe that Unit 03 is moving with ratios this low-  
Touji (growling): You beast...move! Move!  
(Unit 03's fingers reach for the pod and it opens eagerly at the EVA's touch. The Evangelion picks up the rocket launcher in a trembling grasp.)  
Ritsuko (slowly, calmly): Okay, Touji, I need you to just line up your crosshairs with the projected attack path. That all...  
Touji (looking around on the screen before him): What projected path?! There nothing-  
(The crosshairs and triangular "projected path" appear before the Fourth Child and he blinking.)  
Ritsuko: Don't worry, Touji, we are here to help you.   
(Touji nods as Unit 03 brings the rocket launcher up.)  
Natasha (hoarsely): Touji-!  
(Touji jerks in surprise and a rocket is away.)  
-------  
(Elsewhere...)  
(Hikaru pushes open the front door with a sob, her heart racing. Something was very, very wrong... She leans against the door frame, her hands wrapping around the door-jam.)   
Hikaru (whispering): No...it isn't possible...  
(There is a Tarot card in her fist. She can't look at it.)  
Hikaru (wailing, her book-bag falling with a thud to the wooden floor): Mother...! Father...! Where are you?!  
(No answer. There isn't a sound. Not one. It is as if the apartment had frozen solid, leaving silence as the only remaining resident.)  
Hikaru (breaking away from the door as if she can't stand dependency any longer): Mother! Father! Someone! ...anyone...!  
(She doesn't take her shoes off at the door and staggers through the main hallway, heading toward the kitchen. She can't feel her hands or feet. It feels like they are encased in ice. Her heart is beating so fast and hard that it feels like the hallway walls on either side of her are pulsating.)  
Hikaru (whimpering): Mommy... Daddy...  
(The kitchen door is shut...)  
Don't open it!  
(Her free hand reaches for the door.)  
Leave it be! Don't!  
(She pushes the door open. Her lips move, but not a sound comes out. The Card of Death flutters to the kitchen floor, stained by the pooling liquid standing there...)  
--------------------------------  
(Hikaru's eyes snap open and she gasps for breath that doesn't seem to come fast enough. Her fingers are tingling as if they were asleep. An explosion's echo rings back at her and she turns her head weakly toward the sound.)  
(The Angel's head is still visible, but now its focus is now at a distance.)  
(There is a familiar voice screaming desperately from the communications bracelet at Hikaru's wrist.)  
Natasha (shouting frantically): Hikaru! Hikaru! Can you hear me?!  
Hikaru (very hoarsely): I'm here.  
(There is a long moment of quiet on the other side of the line. Then,)  
Natasha (very softly): Thank God...  
Ritsuko (her voice chiming onto the bracelet): Hikaru, can you stand?  
Hikaru (wincing): I-I think so.   
Ritsuko (sighing): Good, move. We don't know how long the Target will stay focused on something so far away.  
Hikaru (confused): What-  
Ritsuko (sharply): Just move! I'll explain it all to you later if you want!  
Hikaru (quietly): Yes, ma'am.  
-------------------------------------  
Touji (tensing in his seat): Now what? You've got its attention, Doc!  
(Ritsuko studies the map projected before her. Roughly three and a half kilometers to the OSPE, the pilot/EVA ratios are just barely above compatibility, and the active-time clock continues to click down.)  
Maya (whispering): Oh, God, ma'am...  
Ritsuko (her eyes flickering from the map, to her laptop, to the EVA report board): Something, just one thing...  
(A Voice-Only icon flickers to life next to Ritsuko's face.)  
Gendo (quietly): What now?   
Ritsuko (coldly): Sir, we will-  
Gendo: I will not lose a perfectly good EVA because of a few issues your staff has with attack methods.  
(Ritsuko sees Maya's back snap straight as she turns slowly toward the doctor.)  
Gendo: Chose. Now.  
Touji (shouting): Ritsuko! That...Thing is almost on top of me here!  
Gendo (whispering): If you can buy his life, would you bet a few seconds of torment?   
Ritsuko (choked): Sir...  
Gendo (softly): Save the boy, Ritsuko.  
(Ritsuko slowly turns toward the command console. Maya sees the look in Doctor Akagi's eyes and she jumps to her feet.)  
Maya (screaming): No! Ma'am-  
Ritsuko (gently as she flicked open the clear cover and pressed the red button): You both can hate me later.  
(Click.)  
----------------------------  
(The whole Evangelion slumps as the Angel approaches, startling Touji with the sudden numbness that caresses the back of his mind. Then...he feels it. The Beast hiding in the depths of Unit 03 awakens and Touji gasps.)  
Touji (panting as his screen fades to red): ...no...  
(The Angel's head lifts and it grins at the immobile EVA. Its limp paw reaches out for Unit 03 when something happens. Unit 03's mouth drops open and the EVA's breathing can be heard against the still silence. The Angel pauses, unsure.)  
(Suddenly, Unit 03's head rears back and it roars, celebrating its creation. The Angel launches itself toward the EVA frantically, but Unit 03's head snaps back down and it gazes at the Target. Then, its hand is coming up and the Angel is caught by the neck. The Angel writhes in the EVA's grasp as if it has no spine. Its feet kick at the ground under it. The EVA grins and breaks into a sprint, the Angel held before it like a shield. A second later, the two hit a mountain side and the force of the blow carry the them uphill in an explosion of dirt and broken branches.)   
(The EVA appears at the top of the mountain, straddling its stunned opponent. Its fists flash down in a frenzy of bloodlust, seeking to pound the Entity into the very earth.)  
Touji (jerking the butterfly handles frantically): Goddamn it! Make it stop! I only have :15 seconds of power left!  
------------  
Ritsuko (her fingers rattling on the keyboard, thinking): God...who knew the First had so much rage-  
(On-screen: Access Denied.)  
Ritsuko (blinking): What?! This is impossible!  
Maya (quietly as she rolls a seat up beside Ritsuko, her eyes downcast): Ma'am?  
Ritsuko (her hands beginning to tremble): Oh, God! Touji! I can't make it stop!  
Maya (her fingers moving in slow, subdued strokes): Ma'am...Firewall engaged...  
(Ritsuko blinks and looks over at Maya. The younger woman refuses to meet Doctor Akagi's eyes.)  
Ritsuko (whispering): I'm so sorry, Maya.  
Maya: ......it's done.  
Ritsuko (looking back to the view screen, the EVA is paused mid-strike): Touji! Can you speak!  
(The EVA slowly comes to its feet and begins walking downhill toward the small crater containing the OSPE.)  
Ritsuko (rising her voice): Touji?!  
(Quiet murmuring.)  
Ritsuko (tilting her head as she leaned forward): W-What is that?  
Maya (softly): I-It sounds like a prayer...  
(Ritsuko touches the volume knob on the control console and the murmuring became understandable.)  
Touji (softly, slowly, numbly): ...Hidaka...  
...Hikari...  
...Hidaka...  
...Hikari...  
Ritsuko (leaning back in her chair): What...?  
(She and Maya listen for a long moment, then she slowly reaches out and turns the volume back down.)  
------------------------  
(The path to the dam entrance is thickly covered with overgrown weeds and brush. While plug suits were excellent when interfacing with an Evangelion, it fell a little short when it came to protecting a body from thorn-covered branches.)  
Rei (quietly): You are tired.  
(Shinji's head is hanging while bracing his hands on his knees, breathing deeply.)  
Shinji (panting): It's nothing to worry about.  
Rei (lifting her wrist before her face, gazing at the chronometer there): We are not behind schedule. If you need rest, then we may do so.  
Shinji (forcing his back to straighten and a smile to light his pale features): I'm fine, Rei.  
(Rei gazes at Shinji's knees for a long moment, then turns back toward the path.)  
Rei (distantly): You have blood on your plug suit.  
(Shinji silently brushes at his knees, trying to erase the stains on his hands.)  
Rei (ducking slowly under a moss-covered branch): Why must humans lie? For what purpose does it serve?  
Shinji (closing his eyes as a moist leaf brushed past his cheek): I'm sorry, Rei. I didn't mean to insult you.  
Rei: ...  
Shinji (rubbing the back of his neck): I guess...I wanted to protect you.  
(A red eye gazes over the First Child's shoulder.)  
Rei (slowly): Protect...me?  
Shinji (thickly): Yeah...  
(Rei looks down at the wet earth under her silent feet. Her eyes are puzzled.)  
Rei (softly): You...confuse me.  
Shinji (smiling gently): Well, life rarely does make sense.   
Rei: ...  
Shinji (lifting his head): We are here.  
(The forest seems to blur into slate-colored metal as the Children lift their eyes to the wall of the dam. A small, quiet stream leaks from the massive structure's base. Shinji gazes at the water for a long moment, then)  
Shinji (whispering): Soon, this tiny brook will be several hundred times larger. I hope Misato and Hikaru get out okay.  
(Rei says nothing as she walks up to the ground-level access hatch. Her slender hand touches the hatch handle and presses on it. It doesn't move.)  
Rei (looking over her shoulder at Shinji): ...it is locked.  
Shinji (pulling a tire-iron out of the small duffel bag he had slung across his shoulder, sighing): I got it...  
---------------------------------  
(Hikaru carefully steps on the glass-covered floor of the dam administrative office. After having tried the front door and finding it locked, she had gone about shattering one of the office's windows.)  
Hikaru (softly): I'm sure the company will not mind.  
(It is very dark inside the office's front room and Hikaru hurries toward the door leading deeper into the structure. She opens the door and steps out into the hallway. The ceiling is caved in at parts, letting the rising sunlight in. Nature had begun to reclaim that which had been taken from it. Vines, wildflowers, and grass were sticking up through the slats of the floor.)  
Hikaru (whispering into her wrist unit): Ms Natasha? Are you there?  
Natasha (slowly, her accent thicker than normal): Yes, yes, I am here.   
Hikaru (stepping carefully, but quickly around the flowers): I am heading toward the back of the office. Do you have the safe code, yet?  
Natasha: We have it. The MAGI had some trouble, but we have it.  
Hikaru (her brows lifting as she pushed the main office door open): You put the MAGI to work on this? What about the Angel-?  
Ritsuko (stiffly): The MAGI are powerful enough to keep track of an Angel and perform a simple search such as this will no problems!  
Hikaru (blinking): I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that the MAGI were inferior...  
Ritsuko (sighing): I know that, Hikaru. I'm just...a little on edge right now.  
(Hikaru looks around the office and lifts her wrist high so that the tiny lamp could give her a view of the place. Papers cover the floor like carpet while the rotting, leather chair lay on its side behind the worn, wooden desk at the back of the room. The safe sat beside it. Hikaru tosses her hair back over her shoulder with a flick of her wrist.)  
Hikaru (firmly): Okay...let's just get this done.   
Hikaru (thinking): While we still have a chance!  
------------------------------  
(Her breath is a painful, wheezy sound her ears. The foothills around the town have become rising blurs on either side of her. It seems like the world has narrowed down to a single, twisting dirt path before her.)  
Misato (coughing): I was never...on very good terms with nature...  
(The thundering of combat and the howling of inhuman beasts warps in and out of Misato's focus. Her head never lifts from its bowed position just above her chest. Her eyes are always on her feet, reassuring her spinning, fevered mind that she is still moving through time and space. The scrape of her crutch is distant and annoying as a dull ache at the back of her head.)  
Familiar Voice (quietly): Do you think that the Children will make it?  
Misato (rasping): There is...no other...option...  
Familiar Voice: Why do you say that?  
Misato (grimly): There is...no life...if they fail...  
(Pause)  
Familiar Voice: I suppose that you are right on that one... Is it right to depend so much on ones so young?   
Misato (scowling suddenly): I know that you never agreed with that idea.  
Familiar Voice (gently): And I think that you silently agreed with me.  
Misato (biting her lip): ...  
Familiar Voice: You look like you are going to cry.   
Misato: ...  
Familiar Voice: Isn't it a little late for tears?  
Misato (choking): God damn you! STOP HAUNTING ME!!  
(Misato's dragging foot catches an exposed stone in the path and she collapses to the ground with a whimper of pain.)  
Familiar Voice: Is that what I'm doing?  
Misato (her eyes closed): That...or I'm haunting you...  
Familiar Voice (soothingly): Now that's a novel concept.  
(Misato's free hand moves and she reaches out blindly to path before her, her fingertips slick with blood.)  
Misato (coughing): ...help...  
(Silence)  
Misato (her hand falling to the dirt): You were never...there...when...I needed......you...  
-----------------------------  
(Hikaru's legs are on fire as she tears through the high grass, her frantic eyes on the horizon. Somewhere, the Evangelion and Angel battle again. She had heard the sound of a OSPE cable being attached, but not without some fumbling. The pilot was either inexperienced or terrified. She could understand both feelings.)  
Hikaru (thinking): I'm...not going to make it...  
Blood oozing over the floor...  
Hikaru (thinking): It's-It's like before...  
Hands reaching out in final desperation...  
Hikaru (thinking, tears forming): I-I'm never...in time...  
Eyes...never to blink again...  
Hikaru (wailing, falling to her knees): STOP IT!!  
Asuka (at a distance): Hikaru?! What the hell are you doing?!  
(There is the sound of rapid footfalls.)  
(Hikaru wipes at the tears, but they still fall. The tall grass before her parts and a furious Asuka Langley Soryu appears. Her anger fades as she sees the Sixth Child on her knees in a puddle of water, sobbing uncontrollably.)  
Asuka (whispering): Mein Gott...  
Hikaru (her ebony hair falling about her face): Oh...God...Asuka, I see them...  
(Asuka comes down to her knees and grasps Hikaru by her shaking shoulders.)  
Asuka (firmly): Hikaru...please, we have a job to do...think of Misato...of-  
Hikaru (her head snapping up, her eyes wide): Misato! Oh-Oh my God!  
Asuka (alarmed): Wh-What's wrong with you-  
Hikaru (bolting to her feet, her fingers digging into the old paper of the emergency manual): Oh-Oh, I must go! I must go!  
(She starts to sprint away, but Asuka snags her arm.)  
Asuka (shouting): What's wrong with you, Hikaru?!   
Hikaru (struggling against Asuka's grip, crying): Misato-Misato's hurt bad! She's dying!   
Asuka (her eyes snapping wide): What?!  
(There is a distant howl, stunning the two girls into silence.)  
Hikaru (her eyes on the distant horizon): I-I must go to her-  
Asuka (hissing): No! I will take care of this-  
Hikaru (focusing on Asuka for the first time): No.  
Asuka (bringing her flushed face right into Hikaru): Now listen, rookie-  
Hikaru (whispering): Shinji needs you.  
(Asuka opens her mouth, but the words die on her tongue. She turns her face away so that her eyes are hidden from the Sixth Child. The moment of hysteria has passed from Hikaru's mind. Her lip grows hard.)  
Hikaru (touching Asuka's shoulder): Please...go to him.  
Asuka (turns suddenly on Hikaru, her eyes like twin, blue flames): I-I trust Misato's life with you.  
(The Second Child seems to want to say more, but emotion closes her throat. Silently, Hikaru nods her head and hands the manual to Asuka.)  
Hikaru (softly): Good luck, Asuka Langley Soryu.  
Asuka (chuckling thickly): I...don't need luck. I have my skill.  
(Hikaru offers Asuka a bleak smile, then turns and sprints away. Asuka is left standing in the center of the field, grass rising around her like silent flames. Abruptly, she shakes her head violently and turns toward the dam. Nothing remains of her emotions, but a few stray tears glistening on her cheeks.)  
-----------------------------------   
(Shinji is in a dark stairwell. He is leaning against the concrete wall beside him, panting with growing exhaustion. The hum of automated systems seems to make the cold wall under his face pulse with life.)  
Shinji (whispering): I shouldn't...be here.  
(He knew he was bleeding again. Ritsuko had warned him against pushing himself. Unfortunately, Angels rarely gave any thought to the limits of human beings.)  
Shinji (taking a deep breath): But...people need me. God...if Asuka so me now.   
(The Third Child doesn't want to think about the merciless torment he would get the from flaming-haired girl. He would never live it down.)  
Shinji (forcing his body to stand on its own again, thinking): Come on, Shinji. Just one more flight of steps!   
(The boy begins to stagger up the steps once more, his right hand is wrapped tightly around the handrail.)  
Shinji (softly): Everyone's got to do their part...  
(FLASHBACK: Rei (her eyes deep crimson): I will go to the valve chamber now.  
(The two Children are in the dark main corridor of the dam. The girl is turned away from Shinji, lifting her wrist to her face so that she could view the chronometer. He pale, green light of the digits made Rei's face appear as if it were carved of stone, so cold and emotionless...)  
Shinji (reaching out to her): Rei...  
(Her eyes flicker over to him, taking in the outstretched hand and his uncertain eyes as if from a distance.)  
Rei: ...?  
(Shinji looks at his hand and hastily lets it drop to his side. Shinji summons up a weak smile.)  
Shinji (weakly): Well, I guess we part ways, then.  
Rei (still watching him): ...yes.  
Shinji (quietly): G-Good luck to you, Rei. I'll see you when this is all over.  
Rei: ...  
(There is a distant sound of thunder and the inhuman howls.)  
Shinji (shivering, turning away, toward his destination on the other side of the dam): W-Well, I'll be going-  
Rei: Shinji...  
(He looks over his shoulder at the First Child and is shocked at how haunted she looks. Her eyes are now like pools of obsidian.)  
Shinji (blinking): Y-Yes?  
(Rei turns away from Shinji and begins to walk away. Her voice is almost lost in the hall, but her words send fingers of cold down his spine.)  
Rei: Walk in light, Shinji...  
(Shinji had wasted precious seconds gazing after the First Child, his heart aching in a way he had not felt in a long time...)  
(Present)  
Shinji (wondering quietly): What did she mean by that? Was she wishing me well? Even if she was...that dream...  
(The earth suddenly heaves violently under Shinji's feet and he falls to his knees painfully on the cement steps. He now clings to the handrail with both hands, while his eyes look around wildly.)  
Shinji (breathing hard and fast): Wh-What was that?!   
(The Angel's howl came again and Shinji knew. The Angel is at the front gate.)  
Shinji (dragging himself to his feet): Am I too late?!  
(He limps toward the door at the top of the steps. There is sunlight now burning underneath it, lighting Shinji's grim face.)  
(He reaches for the knob and opens the door. The door's hinges whine loudly, protesting the sudden use after being unused for so long. The light beyond is surprisingly bright, blinding Shinji even as he lifts a hand to shield his eyes.)  
(The floor trembles again and Shinji lowers his hand. The dam's edge stretches out on either side of the boy. He looks up and gasps as he finds the Angel only a few hundred yards away...wrestling with...with...)  
Shinji (hoarsely): No...  
-----------------------------   
(The floating holographic charts around her do nothing to reassure Ritsuko. Standing in the center of the small control center, the charts hang around her like hovering clouds. Her arms are crossed over her chest and her eyes are narrowed behind her reading glasses. It does not look good.)  
Maya (quietly, tightly): His heart-meter is almost off the chart. He's a few moments away from heart-failure!  
(Ritsuko reaches up and rubs her eyes under the glasses. On the main screen over the observation panel, Unit 03 is fighting for its life. With Progressive Knife in hand, the Evangelion tries to stab at the Angel's head. The Entity hisses at this and grabs the EVA's wrist in its over-sized grasp. With a deceptively lazy motion, the Angel tosses the EVA into the nearby forest. Trees shatter and dusts explodes from the site. The target grins at this and launches itself at the EVA.)  
(What's worst is that Touji either cannot or will not answer hails from Ritsuko or Maya.)  
Maya (her head bowed): It...It's too much for him. He's shutting down.  
Ritsuko (distantly): No...  
Maya (exploding, spinning in her chair toward the doctor): Ma'am, his heart is going to explode, his syncho-ratio is all but non-existent, and his ego-barrier is fluctuating! T-That THING is going to eat him alive!  
(Ritsuko stares at Maya in wide-eyed shock. The younger woman has been pushed beyond her limits several times in that single day. Something has snapped within her, making her speak her mind where before she would have kept her peace.)  
(Maya slowly turns from Ritsuko and stares at her console.)  
Ritsuko (biting her lip): Maya...I-  
(Klaxons scream and Ritsuko turns frantically back to her holograms. They tell her about her worst nightmare.)  
Maya (a hand rising to her lips): T-The Angel is attacking.  
(The energy spike, like before, flickers to life on the charts, revealing the scientific side to what the forward screen was broadcasting. The Angel is crouched over Unit 03, its head bowed as if in mediation, its mouth hangs open. It is howling and all the charts around Ritsuko are going haywire.)  
Ritsuko (shouting as she turns to the young woman beside her): Maya!  
Maya (her fingers racing): Engaging the NNT!  
----------------------------  
(His vision is tunneling down until he is almost enclosed in total darkness. It doesn't hurt. Really. More, it is a sort of numbness that grows from the death of the mind. Strangely enough, Touji can't find the strength to really care.)  
(It has been a long fight and he lost. There is no dishonor in losing in the face of an unstoppable force.)  
Distant voice: ....Touji!  
(Touji's head rolls forward slightly and he gazes at his lap so that he doesn't have to look at that horrible face over him. His only real regret is that he is leaving Hikari and Hidaka behind. At least, they would have each other. Hikari was good at taking care of people and she would see to it that Hidaka was never left wanting anything.)  
Distant voice (more loudly): ...Touji!...Come on!  
(The beast is there, within the EVA...or perhaps it has always been within him. The darkness within his own soul that has always lured just outside of his consciousness. The darkness that lays in every human soul. Maybe he should give up to that beast...let that beast deal with this physical demon. It would serve the monster right to fight with its own kind. Fight fire with fire, as they always said.)  
Distant voice (desperate): Come on, Touji! Fight back!   
(Suddenly, it feels like a heavy weight has been lifted from his chest and the Fourth Child gasps frantically. On a tiny, holographic screen beside his face, Touji sees that the Neutral Noise Transmitter has suddenly come online.)  
Touji (slowly, as if not understanding): Ritsuko...  
(Suddenly, she is there, her eyes on the edge...he had been so sure that she didn't possess an emotional bone in her body.)  
Ritsuko (fiercely): Get up, Fourth Child! You've got about a minute!  
Touji (softly): What about...Asuka...?   
Ritsuko (grimly): She...just barely got inside the dam, she's on her way to the control room now. Hang on...  
(There is a click of connection and a voice that has been calling to Touji for the last few moments blares through the EVA's plug.)  
Shinji (hysterical): Touji! Touji! Oh, God! Talk to me!  
(Touji wincing even as he reaches slowly for the butterfly handles of the EVA. The Angel is just now becoming aware that its attack is doing nothing to its victim. Its large hands are now coming into view.)  
Touji (shouting): I hear you, Ikari! God! Are you trying to deafen me?!  
(There is a sudden, stunned pause. Then,)  
Shinji (almost breaking down): O-Oh, thank God!  
Touji (shaking his head): Get a hold of yourself, Ikari.  
Ritsuko (gently): I...thought that would get your attention.  
(Touji can see the EVA's hands catch the Angel's wrists. The boy clenches his teeth as he forces the EVA to bring up a foot and slam it into the Angel's torso. The Angel sails back, plowing into a nearby field.)  
Touji (gasping): Man, Ikari. How the hell do you do this day in and day out? It's hard work!  
Shinji (a smile on his voice): A lots of practice and patience.  
Touji (growling as he makes the EVA come to its feet): Well, I'm a little short on both right now!  
Shinji (quietly): You're doing fine... Just hang in there...Asuka...she's almost there...  
----------------------------  
(Within the depths of the dam, Asuka is running like the devil is on her heels. After almost being stepped on by Unit 03, she is not willing to take any chances.)  
Asuka (muttering): Stupid, amateur pilots... They are going to kill someone someday.  
(The thought of rookie pilots draws the thought of Hikaru back to her mind. On the tail of that thought comes the sight of Misato resting in the rundown remains of the rural restaurant.)  
Asuka (thinking bitterly): Of course Misato would never tell any one of us! She is too concerned with important things to think about her own health. But if she...if she dies before I'm done with her...then I will...I will...Arrgh!  
(The Second Child turns the corner sharply, her eyes fierce with thoughts of revenge...and the possibilities. Suddenly, she is at the power generator chamber. This is where she would input the codes that would kill those generators for good. This dam would become permanently unusable after this little operation.)  
Asuka (thinking): All this for that wimpy-looking, cheating thing-  
Rei (her voice just above the sound of humming generators): You are behind schedule.  
Asuka (her head snapping up): Huh? Oh...well, everyone cannot be a Wonder Girl, Rei!  
  
(Rei is standing high over Asuka, at the valves. Now that her job of ensuring that the valves were still operational is finished, the girl now simply...waited. Asuka thought it was a little creepy, but she has better things to worry about.)  
(Asuka hurries forward and slaps the manual down on the metal mesh of the floor. Her fingers flip through the pages quickly, more aware of the time that she is going to let Rei know. The manual is organized in simple language so that a distressed mind could easily comprehend them. A distressed mind...Asuka almost laughs, but turns the next page.)  
Asuka: Talk to me.  
Rei: ...?  
Asuka (glancing up under a fall of red hair): ...I would prefer that what may be my last moments on this planet to not be in silence.  
Rei (blinking slowly): What do you want me to say?  
Asuka (blowing a breath of frustrated air): I don't know! Something! What are you thinking?! What are you feeling?!  
(Rei studies Asuka for a long moment and the Second Child gives up on her. She comes to the page that she is looking for and sees what she must do.)  
Rei (softly): Concern... I feel concern.  
(Asuka almost trips over her own feet. Her eyes flash up at the First Child again, but the girl is looking away, as if she can see beyond the cement walls around them.)  
Asuka (quietly): I...don't believe it...  
(Asuka has the strangest feeling that she is looking at someone else. Once again she is struck by the sensation that she doesn't really know the girl named Rei at all, even after all the pain and suffering they have been through together.)  
Ritsuko (shouting voice coming from Asuka's wrist): Where's our diversion?!   
Asuka (staggering into motion): Coming!  
-----------------------------  
Shigeru (turning from his station): Ma'am, we've got massive activity from the dam! The generators are shutting down and the emergency flood gates are beginning to open!  
Natasha (a cocky grin on her lips, her arms crossed under her breasts): Excellent-  
(Warning klaxons blare and Natasha blinks in surprise.)  
Natasha (sharply): What's going on?!  
Hyuga (shouting): I-It's the dam! The plan is working...only too well! Years of disrepair have left the walls weakened!  
Natasha (taking a step forward): Y-You mean-  
Hyuga (his eyes horrified behind his glasses): It's breaking apart!  
Natasha (shouting): Get our people out of there! Order all the Children to evacuate!   
(Even as she gave the order, NERV is transmitting the retreat order. Even as the order is given, Natasha can only watch. She can't feel anything. All she can think about...over and over again, is the fact that they had sent children to die...)  
---------------------------  
Rei: Pilot Soryu-!  
Asuka (jumping to her feet): You don't have to tell me! I hear!   
(Asuka turns toward the corridor of which she had come, but a sound breaks through her thoughts, stunning her. She turns her blue eyes toward the far wall behind the silent generators. She had almost missed the sound over the roar of now freed water, but she can now see the crack running up the wall. Suddenly, a narrow jet of water sprays out from the crack, hitting the safety rail about a meter from Asuka. The beam of water bends, then cuts through the metal bar. Asuka gazes at it in terror, backing away from the solid spray of water.)  
Rei (calling out): Pilot Soryu!   
(Asuka looks up and Rei is waving her to her.)  
Rei (almost emotional): You will never make it if you go down the corridor. Come with me!  
(Asuka hesitates for a moment and another crack appears in the wall.)  
Rei: Asuka...  
(Asuka reacts as if touched by a live wire. She bolts toward the metal staircase that leads the way up to the catwalk where Rei is waiting. There is a sudden hissing sound and a section of the wall gives away. The blast of water hits the massive cylinders of the generators and the supports of the equipment screams in protest.)  
Rei: Asuka-  
Asuka (snarling): Coming! Coming!   
(Asuka runs up the stairs as fast as her slender legs can carry her. Rei waits at the top of the staircase, cool and watching. It is as if the First Child doesn't realize that the chamber is about to implode around their ears.)  
Asuka (shouting, throwing her hands in front of her as she neared Rei): Don't wait for me, Rei! Move!  
(In a single motion, she spins the First Child around and pushes her ahead of her. There is suddenly a series of pops and suddenly Asuka is pushed against the safety rail. Her head hits the bar and she falls into unconsciousness.)   
-------------------------------  
(Shinji is sprinting toward the end of the dam where the cement merges with the rising land. Even as he runs, he can feel the floor under his feet giving away. It would not be long before the whole dam would be wiped from the face of the planet.)  
(The Angel and EVA are directly in the path of the now tidal-wave size wall of water rolling away from the crumbling form of the dam.)  
Shinji (lifting his wrist to his lip, crying out): Touji! Watch out! It's coming!  
Touji (panting): What's...coming?  
Shinji (turning a frantic gaze over at Unit 03): What do you think?!  
(A shocked silence)  
Touji (shouting): Damn it!  
(The tidal wave is almost to the two massive combatants. Suddenly, Unit 03 slashes the Angel across the face and turns about. The ground around the Evangelion's foot explodes as Unit 03 launches from the wave's destruction path. It manages to get about five steps away before it is snagged from behind. Touji turns the EVA's head about. The Angel had wrapped a hand around the Evangelion's OSPE cable. It is snarling.)  
Ritsuko (crying out): Touji, disengage your cord! Now!  
(Touji's hands snaps out just as the cable goes taunt, dragging the EVA violently toward the destruction path. Unit 03's hands reach out and clawed into the soft earth, creating twin trails of plowed soil behind them. Suddenly, the cable ejects from the EVA's back with a shower of sparks.)  
(The cable jets away like a snake caught in the claws of a ravenous bird of prey. The Angel is no longer visible, having been caught right in the center of the wave. The flood spreads, washing over the surrounding forest and wiping the ghost town away in a flow of violent water.)  
(Slowly, the flood source empties itself and the world seems to take a moment of silent. Then, Unit 03 slowly comes to its feet and begins to wade through the water. It tracks the cable that still remains taunt. The EVA's pilot is grim, tightening Unit 03's grip on the Progressive Knife.)  
(He finds it about a kilometer away from the dam, slowly dragging itself onto an island of higher land. One of its arms are gone and it can't seem to keep its head lifted.)  
Ritsuko (slowly): It is already regenerating.  
Touji (watching the Angel continue to drag itself): This is...pathetic, Ritsuko.  
Ritsuko: Don't doubt for a moment that it will continue the battle the moment it is able. It isn't finished until it is destroyed...  
(The Angel pushes itself on its back and it notices Unit 03 for the first time. It seems to be watching him...)  
Maya (looking to Ritsuko suddenly): Power reading!  
Ritsuko (clenching her teeth): Touji!  
(The Angel opens its mouth and the space around it seems to distort. Touji grunt as he feels the breath knocked from him.)  
(The Evangelion rises its Progressive Knife and Touji feels somewhere in the EVA a keen sense of joy. The Fourth Child closes his eyes as he lets the knife plunge down...)  
------------------------------  
(Shinji kicks at a fragment of the dam that had blown away from the structure when it had been destroyed. The Angel is dead. Shinji had seen the explosion in the distance and knew that it was only a matter of time before NERV came to collect its own. )  
(This time it had been so close, Shinji doesn't even want to consider the next time. In the ongoing war against the enigmatic Angels, Shinji knew that there was a time when his luck, along with everyone else's, would run out. This battle had proved it.)  
(The Angels were learning.)  
(Shinji lifts his eyes and feels like he has been punched in the gut. Rei and Asuka lay before him, Asuka's body is still partially in the water while Rei's hand is wrapped around the Second Child's wrist. Both are not moving.)  
Shinji (shouting): Rei! Asuka!  
(He runs to them, collapsing to his knees between them. He reaches out to their joined hands carefully, frightened at what he might feel...or not feel when he touched them for their pulses.)  
(Shinji touches them.)  
(After a moment, Shinji lets out a sigh of relief and smiles at them.)  
Shinji (whispering): You two took years off my life!  
(A wash of heat makes the young Ikari look up to the sky. A NERV VTOL transport is hovering over the site, flashing its lights at him. He spots Hikaru in one of the windows and waves.)  
Shinji (slowly, looking down at the two girls beside him): Let's go home...  
----------------------------  
(A few days later...)  
Shinji (throwing the door wide): So...what do you think?  
(The apartment is quiet, but it isn't an uncomfortable quiet. The sun is shining brightly through the windows, casting the apartment's traditional floors and walls in warm hues.)  
Asuka (pushing past Shinji, a bandage about her head): Hmmm, I'm impressed, baka. Who helped you find this place?  
Hikaru (sliding past Shinji with a smile): I happen to think Shinji perfectly capable of finding a place like this! He is a romantic, after all.  
Asuka (snorting as she slipped her shoes off): Romantic my as-  
Touji (chuckling): You're just jealous, Asuka. You're just mad that you didn't find this place first!  
(Touji stepped inside and kicked off his high-tops.)  
Touji (calling over his shoulder): Hey, Ikari, did you stock this place with food and stuff?  
Shinji (blinking, then flushing): Um...no.  
Hikari (shouting as she stepped out of her sandals): Touji! Don't ruin it! Need I remind you that I brought dinner? You were supposed to bring up the cooler!  
Kensuke (huffing as he leaned against the front door's frame): Yeah...you left it to me to carry this heavy thing up here!  
(Touji has the grace to look embarrassed before stepping into the living room that branches off from the main hall.)  
Touji (his embarrassment forgotten): Damn! Check out this view! You've got a window looking out on the mountains!   
(Kensuke sighs deeply and deposits the cooler on the wood floor.)  
Hikaru (poking her head out from the door leading to the kitchen, looking at Shinji): Shinji, who put these plants in here?  
(Shinji hesitantly raises his hand. Hikaru grins at him and blows him a kiss.)  
Hikaru (sweetly): Nice touch. Breathes life into the apartment.  
Asuka (snapping): Hey! Stop making kissy faces at Shinji and help me open up the apartment! When was the last time this place had some fresh air?!  
Hikaru (snorting as she disappeared back into the kitchen): You must have hit your head harder than you thought. It isn't stale in here at all!  
Hikari (sighing as she walks toward the kitchen, nodding for Kensuke to pick up the cooler again): You guys...!  
Kensuke (groaning as he straightens with the cooler in his hands): Why do I always get stuck with this sort of stuff?  
(Shinji shakes his head after his friends and turns to the girl whose opinion means the most of all.)  
Shinji (a little nervously): Well...Rei? What do you think of it?  
(Rei is gazing at the setting sun when she finally turns to face him. She steps past him, but doesn't move far into the apartment. Instead she closes her eyes and is silent.)  
Shinji (frowning): Rei?  
Rei: ...it...  
Shinji: ...?  
Rei (looking over at him): ...it...is...perfect.  
(Shinji gapes at her for a few moments, then,)  
Shinji (smiling sheepishly): Really?  
Rei: Yes.  
Shinji: ...well, it...does fit you.   
(Rei slowly steps toward Shinji and he blinks. Carefully, as if afraid he would bolt at sudden moment, Rei turns her face toward his. Shinji feels his heart begin to pound and he wonders what he would do if Rei...if she...)  
(Rei kisses Shinji's cheek and he stares at her.)  
Rei (her smile soft, gentle, and infinitely precious): Thank you...Shinji.  
Shinji (blushing with pleasure): Anytime, Rei...  
(The two Children gaze at each other for a long moment, content in just being in each other's presence.)  
Hikari (her voice drifting from the kitchen): Who wants tea and who wants pop? You can't have both, Touji!  
Touji (whining): Oh, come on, please, Hikari?  
Asuka (suspicious): Where are you going with that second pop, Hikaru?  
Hikaru (a grin on her voice): I'm sure Shinji's thirsty, too.  
Asuka (hissing): Shinji can get his own pop!  
Kensuke (calling): Hey, Shinji! Hurry up! You've got to tell us how you found this place!  
Shinji (smiles at the First Child): Welcome home, Rei.  
(Shinji begins leading Rei toward the murmur of friendly voices. Rei takes it all in with a sigh. The apartment around her feels alive with Shinji's careful consideration and kindness. This is where she belongs. This is where she feels...human.)  
Rei (quietly): I am home...  
-------------------------------  
To Be Continued...  
  
Author's Notes:  
All right! I did it! Chapter 8 is finally finished! It can stop haunting me now...  
I realize that this chapter was a long time in coming and I apologize for that. Due to deadlines at school and so many things to take care of in my life, I was not able to truly focus on the story until just recently. I can only hope that this chapter met the expectations of those who had been asking for it for some time now.  
I would like to thank those of you who wrote me and badgered me into finishing the chapter. If it hadn't been for the fair amount of email I got on the matter, who knows what would have happened!  
Now then, I know that some of you will probably ask me what happened to Misato at the end of the chapter? As always, every one of the chapters in this series are connected one away or another. It is very, very likely you all will find out the details in the next chapter.   
Second, I would like to say that while the Angel in the story is similar to the Angel that "mind-raped" Asuka, it is not the same. Where that Angel had gone in and taken what it wanted from her him, this Angel killed its victims by flooding their minds with the knowledge of the Angels. It would seem that these creatures tagged "Angels" by the human race hold some very terrible knowledge, indeed.  
I know that there are times that there are scenes which are not always straight forward in this series. I began this story, hoping to be able to somewhat mimic the feel of the original series. I'm sure I've said this before, but I would like to think that I leave something to the reader to figure out on their own.   
Of course, I have to thank my pre-reader for this Chapter, Godsend777 (The Death of One and a great many others!). Without him, I would have been forever lost.  
If you do have questions or simple (and much valued) C & C, please write to me at gargoyle64@hotmail.com. Next time, Chapter Nine: "The Way You Shine When You Smile"/ Things Left Unsaid. The normal teasers: Artistic hands, Monsters fought with Inner demons, and the unbearable... See you there!  



	10. The Way You Shine When You Smile

---------------------  
The Characters and concept of Neon Genesis Evangelion are property of Gainax. I created this "scenario" in the spirit of the TV series. I made it in the hope that it would open up people's minds and give something to a series that really touched me. This little series that I have created is a piece of fan fiction thought up by yours truly, so if you are going to copy or distribute this work, please give credit where it is due, k? Now enjoy!  
---------------------  
Evangelion: Step beyond the Abyss  
  
Chapter Nine  
"The Way You Shine When You Smile"/ Things Left Unsaid  
By N. T. Martin  
-------------------------  
I know its been a long time, but here's a little refresher for those of you that have forgotten SBTA 8.2.  
Asuka and Hikaru are forced to join forces in the wilderness as they attempt to reunite with their fellow EVA pilots.  
In the meantime, Misato, after barely surviving a crash-landing, makes her way to a town that has a particular meaning to Asuka.  
Back in Tokyo-3, Touji is faced with a demon from his past: Evangelion Unit 03, regenerated and prepped for combat against this new Angel. Ritsuko finds herself dealing with the guilt of Touji's pain and safekeeping.  
Back on the battlefront, Shinji finds himself beside the lake, under the care of Rei and the two begin searching for the others.  
The Children regroup a town near an automated dam. A plan is formed and the Children launch a combined attack against the Angel.   
The battle ends with Unit 03 killing the Angel and the EVA team is picked up by NERV transports.  
The Chapter ends with Rei being moved into a new apartment, far away from the constant sounds of construction and she feels...content.  
  
---------------------------  
(North Pole.)  
(A boy walks in a loose T-shirt and shorts. Ice crunches under his sneakers and the brutal, subzero wind tears at his white hair. His eyes seem dead as he continues forward despite the harsh elements around him.)  
Boy: ...  
(A ridge appears before him. The pelting snow in the air make it impossible to see much beyond the single ridge, but the boy knows what he would see if he could. A crater. A simple, though, vast crater in the frozen earth.)  
(He steps over a shard of what used to be a door. White print on the shard that is almost erased by dark scorch marks is written the letters "U. N.")   
Boy (lifting his head so that the wind plays with his hair): Beginning...  
-----------------------------  
(The morning sun rises on the horizon of Tokyo 3 and washes the walls of the buildings in warm light. However, in the distance, a few dark clouds hover, threatening to choke out the light.)  
(Within the confines of Misato Katsuragi's apartment, a blurry-eyed Pen-Pen steps out of his refrigerator, a small, yellow towel is draped over his shoulder. The penguin shuffles slowly toward the bathroom door at the end of the hall, patting back a yawn with a slender fin.)  
Asuka (muffled behind her door): Ah...ah...!  
(Pen-Pen pauses next to the Second Child's door, cocking his head quizzically at the strange sound coming from within the red-headed pilot's room.)  
Asuka (suddenly): AC-CHOO!!!  
(Pen-Pen jumps away from the door as if it has suddenly come to life, his round eyes blinking rapidly.)  
Asuka (frustrated): Argh!! Ah don believ dis!   
(The door slides open on abused tracks and Pen-Pen hops out of the way as a red-nosed, watery-eyed Asuka Langley Soryu stomps out of her room and storms into the bathroom. Pen-Pen stares at the shut door and he can hear Asuka using the restroom. He cautiously begins toward the door again, his bath almost in reach.)  
(The door opens again and Asuka appears, her hair matted in some parts, sticking out at wild angles in others. She looks around, sighs, and starts toward her room again...only to fall over Pen-Pen. The two fall in a tangle of fins, arms, and legs.)  
Pen-Pen (sharply, flapping his fins from under Asuka's left leg): Squaw! Squaw!   
Asuka (snapping): Gawddamn it! Shut up!  
(The door next to the two slides open and Misato peers out at them, her eyes not quite focusing on the scene in front of her.)  
Misato (thickly): Wh-What's all the racket about? I just got off an all-nighter-  
(Asuka suddenly bursts into tears and flies back into her room, but not before Misato saw the Second Child's runny nose and pale complexion. Asuka's door slams shut behind her.)  
Misato (blinking, trying to clear sleep's tempting fingers from her mind): W-What...Asuka?!  
(Misato grabs her crutches and hobbles down the hall to the girl's door. Bracing herself under her arms on the crutches, Misato knocks lightly on Asuka's door.)  
Misato (gently): Asuka? What's wrong?  
Asuka (muffled in her pillow): Nophing, Misa-to. Leav me alon!  
(Misato cracks the door open so she can see inside the Second's Child's room. Asuka is laying face down in her bed, her face buried in her pillow. She sees Asuka's shoulders convulse and she hears a choked sound from the girl. ...coughing.)  
Misato (softly, moving awkwardly into the room on her crutches): Asuka...are you sick?  
Asuka (fiercely, hugging her pillow to her): No!   
(A sharp series of coughs makes a liar of the girl.)  
Misato (hopping on one foot so she could sit down in the chair at the girl's desk): Listen, Asuka, you are obviously sick.   
(Asuka groans and rubs her face against the pillow.)  
Asuka (softly): Ah'm...not sick. Can't be.   
Misato (leaning back in the chair, grateful to take the weight off her leg): Why?  
Asuka (quietly): Don't get sick. Ah don't.   
Misato (chuckling to herself): Everyone gets sick, Asuka.  
(The door suddenly opens a little more and Shinji pokes his head in.)  
Shinji (carefully): Hey, are you guys ready for breakfast?  
(Asuka stiffens at the sound of the Third Child's voice, but he continues, unaware.)  
Shinji (cocking his head): What's wrong with her? I heard a lot of noise. What-?  
(Asuka suddenly rears back and begins throwing pillows at him.)  
Asuka (shouting): Who asked yous ta com in 'ere?! Ge' OUT! Ge' OUT, BAKA!!   
(Shinji's eyes widen in shock as he sees the projectile pillows coming at him. He manages to dodge the two small, throw pillows, but the big, fat one hits him square in the head and sends him flying out into the opposite hallway wall.)  
Shinji (shouting): Hey!  
Misato (firmly): Enough! Both of you!  
Shinji (pointing at Asuka, who has ducked her head under the comforter): She started it!  
Misato (sigh, allowing herself to slump a little in the chair): Shinji...could you please start breakfast? I'll be along in a bit.  
(Shinji looks at Misato and sees how pale the Major has become. He bites his lip and nods silently. His fading footsteps come back at the Second Child under the sheets. She sighs unsteadily and pulls the comforter tight around her, making a small mound in the center of her bed.)  
Misato (quietly): What was that, Asuka?  
Asuka (biting her lip): N-Nophing. Ah...jus' didn't want ta see dat baka right now.  
(There is a moment of silence in the room and the two can hear Shinji pulling out pans and setting the table. Misato smiles somewhat sadly and reaches out to the mound. Her hand gentles smoothes the comforter over the Second Child's back.)  
Misato (coming painfully to her feet with the aid of her crutches): I will have Shinji put a plate of food at your door before he goes to school. If...If you need something else, I will be in the next room.  
(The thumping of Misato's crutches fade away and Asuka is alone under the sheets. She blinks back the moisture at her eyes and turns on her side, her back toward the door.)  
Asuka (very softly): Ah'm not sick.  
(And she coughs some more.)  
-----------------------------  
(The rain pelts the windows of the school endlessly, almost like the weather is trying to break into the schoolroom. Rei Ayanami watches the rain trail down the window's surface in long, fat trails. Her cheek is braced on her palm and her red eyes are seemingly looking elsewhere.)  
Female Student A (softly, behind a cupped palm): Did you hear?  
Female Student B (leaning low over her desk, her voice a mere whisper): What?  
Female Student A: Asuka is sick!   
(Rei's eyes drift slowly from the window to glance at the two girls at her right.)  
Female Student B (covering her mouth in shock): No way! Her Majesty doesn't catch colds! She's invincible!  
(Rei turns her eyes to scan the entire classroom. Similar conversations are running rampant among all the small gossip groups. Asuka coming down with the flu was news.)  
Rei (thinking): Why are these people so fascinated by Pilot Soryu's illness? Why are they so excited?   
(The classroom door opens and Shinji steps in, his face tired and his uniform dripping. Rei's eyes widen at the sight of him.)  
Kensuke (slowly rising from his seat): Whoa! Shinji! What happened to you?!  
Shinji (squeezing what water he could from the loose tails of his button-down shirt): I couldn't find an umbrella and I was running late.   
(The Third Child shakes the rain out of his hair and walks over to his desk. He sits down and glances over at Touji's empty seat.)  
Shinji (frowning): ...Touji's not here?  
Kensuke (following Shinji's gaze): Oh, yeah. I guess he wasn't feeling too well this morning. Or so his sister told me.   
(Kensuke lifts his chin and pushes his glasses up thoughtfully.)  
Kensuke (slowly): With a surprising lack of sarcasm, too...  
(Shinji pauses in the act of opening his book-bag. His eyes grow distant and he remains silent.)  
Kensuke (glancing carefully over at Shinji's bowed head): Did...did he say anything to you?  
Shinji (his voice very low): No...this is the first I heard of it.  
(The classroom door slides open and the old teacher comes shuffling in. No one notices him and he comes to stand behind his desk, confused at the fact that none of the children are rising. His old eyes wander over to Hikari Horaki, who is staring at the artificial wood of her desktop. His wrinkled lips part in surprise. The girl student, one of the most responsible in the class, has forgotten her duty as class rep.)  
(The teacher clears his throat lightly and Hikari glances up, her eyes distracted. When they focus on the old man, they grow wide with shock and embarrassment.)  
Hikari (shooting to her feet, her cheeks bright pink): All rise!  
(None of the other students notice Hikari's lack of attention...except for Shinji. He bites his lip even as he bows to the teacher.)  
Shinji (thinking): Hikari...  
(Sighing, the teacher takes his seat and begins roll-call.)  
Teacher (mumbling into his attendance folder): Mori, Eiji?  
Eiji (bored): Here...  
Teacher (squinting at the page): Nakajima, Atsuko?   
Atsuko (rolling her eyes): Here!  
Teacher (smacking his lips absently): Sohma, Hikaru?  
(Silence)  
Teacher (blinking slowly, rising his head to look at the class): Miss Sohma?  
Hikari (glancing covertly at Shinji, whispering behind a cupped hand): Shinji! Where's Hikaru?!  
Shinji (shaking his head): I-I don't know. I didn't see her on the way here.  
(Suddenly, the door to the room bangs open and a soaked, wild-haired Hikaru staggers in.)  
Hikaru (bowing deeply to the teacher): S-Sorry I'm late! I overslept!  
Teacher (shifting slowly on his chair): I see. You may take your seat, Miss Sohma.  
Hikaru (breathing deeply, her head down): Yes, sir.  
(The class murmurs amongst itself as the teacher continues attendance. If it is one thing, Hikaru has always been a punctual student. The Sixth Child takes her seat and rests with her elbows braced on the desktop. Shinji gazes at her, his eyes concerned.)  
(Hikaru glances up from under her fall of dark hair, her eyes tired. She notices Shinji's worried gaze and offers a thankful smile. The Third Child blushes and quickly looks back to the front of the class. He doesn't notice Hikaru look down at her folded hands, her eyes staring at nothing...and everything.)  
-------------------------   
(The door slides open and Ritsuko stares into the dark room. The shades have been pulled and no lights are on. She frowns and reaches over for the light switch.)  
Hidaka (softly): Leave them off, the darkness comforts him.  
(Ritsuko jumps, almost dropping the bouquet of flowers she had brought before stopping here. Hidaka, Touji's little sister, sits at her brothers side. Ritsuko walks toward the bed where Touji lays, resting quietly.)  
Ritsuko (pulling up a chair on the opposite side of the bed from Hidaka): How has he been?  
(The girl opens her eyes and Ritsuko feels like she has been struck in the gut. While Touji's sister has the face and the appearance of a young girl, her eyes are old, almost ancient. She has seen too much.)  
Hidaka (slowly, as if with great difficulty): He rests, but sometimes he has nightmares. Sometimes...he cries out my name...sometimes...Hikari's....sometimes...  
(She trails off and her lower lip trembles for a few seconds before she forces composure. Ritsuko glances down and finds herself crushing the stems of the bouquet. She makes her hands relax and sets the flowers on the night-stand next to the Fourth Child's bed.)  
Hidaka (laying her head down on her brother's shoulder, her right arm settling across his waist): He seemed...okay.  
Ritsuko (looking up at the tired girl): Okay?  
Hidaka (closing her eyes and rubbing the top of her head against Touji's lack cheek): He came home from...there 'okay.' He even joked about my...my red eyes. Telling me that crying would give me wrinkles when I grew up...  
Ritsuko (her hands folded in her lap): ...  
Hidaka (gritting her teeth): I-I don't understand what happened...a few days went by, then suddenly, in the middle of the night...I hear...  
(FLASHBACK: Touji (screaming): NO! YOU CAN'T HAVE THEM!!!  
Hidaka (snapping awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling in shock): Touji?!  
Touji (wailing): I WON'T LET YOU! I'LL KILL YOU FIRST!  
Hidaka (running out of her room, her knees flashing under her nightgown): Touji!  
(Then, she hears the crash in the bathroom, stunning her into immobility. She presses a small hand to her pounding heart as she stands in the middle of the dark hallway. She can see the light coming from under the door at the end of the hall. She hears another crash and she forces her feet to move again. Her breath is painful and she can feel the tears forming. The sound...it was like...glass breaking.)  
Hidaka (tears flowing down her cheeks now, throwing the door open, her eyes wide with shock): TOUJI?!  
(Present)  
Hidaka (her arms tight around Touji's waist, her tears wetting the sheets around his chest): He had-had punched out the bathroom mirror! His e-eyes were wild with fear and anger! When he saw me...it looked like he was...going to hit me!  
Ritsuko: Hidaka-  
Hidaka (sobbing heavily): T-There was blood smeared all over the tiles and broken glass was everywhere. His hands...oh God!  
(Ritsuko looks down at Touji's limp hands. They are bandaged up to the wrists in white, medical tape.)  
(Ritsuko bows her head and lets her bleached hair fall forward.)  
Ritsuko (thinking): Contamination. There is no other explanation. Unit 03...the worst of them all. Even my Firewall couldn't block Touji...entirely. Goddamn you, Yui...  
-----------------------------  
(Fuyutsuki is standing in Gendo Ikari's office with his hands folded behind his back. His face is grave and impersonal, yet his eyes seem to have seen centuries, they look so old. He has lost more weight and he feels as though a light wind could blow him away, into oblivion.)  
(The Supreme Commander is reading the file laid out on his desk. It is as though Fuyutsuki isn't even there as he turns to the next page.)  
Fuyutsuki (very quietly): ...sir-  
Gendo (shifting very slightly, bringing his focus immediately on the Sub-Commander): Are you proud of your work this time, professor?  
(Fuyutsuki is shocked by the wave of raw rage that tears through his system. He had gotten the call in the middle of the night, during one of the few periods he actually slept.)  
Fuyutsuki (thickly): All...the analysis reported that Unit 03 was-  
Gendo (folding his hands before his face): -Inferior.  
(Fuyutsuki flinches and lifts his eyes to the view of the Geo-Front outside so that he doesn't have to face Gendo head-on.)  
Fuyutsuki (forcing calm): We needed another EVA.  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki (taking a step forward): Should we have let those Children die out there?! The Enlightenment-  
Gendo (quietly): -was a matter that we would have handled in due course.  
Fuyutsuki (narrowing his eyes): I don't remember you putting up much of a fight in putting Unit 03 on the frontlines...sir.  
Gendo: ...  
Fuyutsuki (stiffly): I make mistakes... Mistakes that I live with every moment of my life. At least, I don't hide behind a mask to keep life at arm's length.  
Gendo (slowly): Are you implying, professor, that I run from my problems?  
Fuyutsuki: ...  
Gendo: We have other things to focus on than this ridiculous issue.  
Fuyutsuki (gritting his teeth): The Fourth Child-  
Gendo: Will wake up or remain in his coma whether we discuss it or not.   
Fuyutsuki (grimly): ...sir.  
(Gendo turns in his seat and walks to the wall of windows behind his desk. He shoves a hand in his pocket, letting his other hand hang at his side. Fuyutsuki suddenly notices that Gendo doesn't have much flesh on his bones, himself. This constant situation with the Angels, Seele, and the fate of the world seemed to have a similar effect on all that are involved.)  
Gendo (sighing): Fuyutsuki...  
Fuyutsuki (blinking back to the present): Yes, sir?  
Gendo: Enlightenment came too soon. I...believe that Seele may release the Warrior next.   
Fuyutsuki (gapes for a few moments before he can speak): Are you...sure?  
Gendo: As I am of anything. The day when we may become obsolete could very well be close at hand.  
Fuyutsuki: What about the Children?  
(Gendo reaches up with his free hand and touches the window before his face. The light from outside paints his gloved hand in red, making it appear that his hand is wet with blood.)  
Gendo (a cynical grin tilting his lips): One can always...pray.  
--------------------------------   
Hikaru (bowing deeply to the faculty member before her): Thank you so much, sensei! I-I kind of forgot my umbrella today.  
(The old teacher frowns slightly.)  
Teacher (concerned): Are you feeling all right, Hikaru? It isn't like you to forget something like this.  
Hikaru (tapping her temple lightly with her fist, grinning): Miss Natasha always said that I would forget my head if it wasn't attached to my neck!  
Teacher (tapping his lips unconvinced): Really... Well, in any case, I brought my car today, so it is okay if you take the umbrella. I just have to be in the storm for a few moments, after all.  
Hikaru (bowing again as she stepped out into the hallway): Thank you again!  
(The girl turns and jogs toward the exit of the school. Her shoes echo lightly since most of the children have already found their ways home, one way or another.)  
(Outside, the Sixth Child can see the rain coming down in sheets. It really is a miserable day.)  
Hikaru (softly as she watches the rain fall): It fits...  
(Just then, Hikaru spots a blur in the rain. Her eyes widen as she recognizes the face through all the rain.)  
--------------  
(Shinji looks up at the umbrella over his head, then at the girl rubbing her shoulder against his.)  
Shinji (blushing): It is really nice of you to walk me home, Hikaru. I know it is a little out of the way.  
(Hikaru stares out a the rain and for a moment Shinji wonders if the Sixth Child had been hanging around Rei too long.)  
Shinji (quietly): Hikaru?  
Hikaru (blinking, then smiling up into Shinji's face): What? Oh! I'm sorry! Did you say something?  
Shinji (faltering under her violet gaze): Uh-well, it just seems-you see-that you are a little preoccupied today!  
(They came to a crosswalk and the pedestrian sign flashes red. The children stop and listen to the rain pounding down on the umbrella. Hikaru slowly looks away and stares at the thin layer of water washing down the street.)  
Hikaru (slowly): Shinji...what do you think of dreams?  
Shinji (frowning): Huh?  
Hikaru: Dreams...what do you think of them? Do you think they mean anything?  
(A car hums by, causing the flowing water to ripple. Shinji studies Hikaru's down-turned head.)  
Shinji (quietly): I-I don't like to think about my dreams.   
Hikaru: Why?  
Shinji (turning his head away, staring up the vacant street): Because...they hurt.  
Hikaru (smiling sadly, her face hidden from Shinji): Yeah...  
(The signal turns to the white walk symbol.)  
-------------------------   
(The door slams down the hall and Asuka blinks awake. There is the sound of walking feet and she wonders what that baka, Shinji, is up to.)  
(Asuka sneezes and rubs her tearing eyes.)  
Asuka (sniffing): Gaddamn cold...  
(She reaches out from under the sheets and tries to find the box of tissues. Her hand fumbles across the bed-stand and almost knocks over the glass of water Misato had brought in earlier.)  
Asuka (growling): Where's it?  
(The box suddenly nudges Asuka's wrist and the Second Child's eyes snap wide.)  
Asuka (snarling from under the covers): Baka! Get out!  
(The box remains.)  
Asuka (gritting her teeth): If ya aren't out of 'ere in three seconds, ah gonna scream s-so loud!  
(The box is steady.)  
Asuka (breathing deep): One...  
(Silence)  
Asuka (tears forming in her eyes): Two...  
(The box is set on the bed-stand.)  
Asuka: ...thre-  
(The sheet is pulled back and Asuka squeaks at the sudden intrusion.)  
Asuka (reaching out so she can push Shinji away): Shinji-  
(Not Shinji's chest.)  
Asuka (cracking her eyes open): Oh...you...  
-----------------------------  
Rei (thinking): Silence...  
(The First Child is sitting in her apartment's main room. It was still a little vacant, Shinji had bought an old, wooden rocking chair for her to sit in. It was comfortable and worn. Rei opens her eyes and looks at her hands on the slender armrests. Her fingers move slowly on the smooth wood, leisurely.)  
Rei (thinking): My heart is beating...slowly. Is this what it is to be at peace?  
(There is a sudden sound that makes Rei's breath pause. She has never heard the sound before and she listens carefully as it fades away. After a few moments of silence, it comes again, a soft chime that comes from the main hallway.)  
(Curious, Rei stands and walks into the hallway and looks toward the door. There is a shadow beyond the peek-hole and Rei's breath hesitates for a moment.)  
Rei (softly): Who...?  
(She walks to the door and looks through the eye-hole. Shinji's dripping face is distorted on the other side. He looks a little nervous as he shifts from one foot to another. He rings the bell one more time and waits. After a moment, he sighs and starts to turn away. That's when Rei opens the door.)  
Shinji (jumping at the suddenly appearance of her): Oh! Rei! I-I'm sorry to bother you-  
(He glances at her quickly to judge her mood, but Rei just gazes at him, waiting for him to finish.)  
Shinji (tapping the toe of his shoe nervously on the concrete walkway): T-That is...I wanted...you see...that is-  
Rei (softly): You are wet.  
Shinji (snapping to attention at that): Yes! I am wet!  
(Shinji blinks when he believes he sees a smile flicker over Rei's lips, but it is gone in a second and he is left to wonder if he has just imagined it.)  
Rei (letting the door open a bit more): There are towels in the bathroom.  
(Shinji hesitates a moment more, then walks inside.)  
--------------------------  
(Her mother used to hum to her. That was a long time ago and it is so hazy that it seems like a dream to her. It was before father became cold, before...EVA... It was when the bars of the cradle still rose on either side of her head. It was before she was replaced by a doll.)   
(There is humming now and she murmurs softly, her lips moving slowly.)  
Asuka (whispering): ...momma...  
(The humming stops and someone shifts in the chair next to her bed.)  
Hikaru (softly): How are you doing? Feeling better?  
(Asuka's eyes snap open and she finds the Sixth Child hovering over her face. Asuka glares at the girl.)  
Asuka (turning on her side, pulling the sheet up around her neck): Wha' are ya doin' 'ere?!  
Hikaru (chuckling): You passed out so quickly that I feared for your health!  
Asuka (glaring at her wall): That's a laugh.   
(It is still raining outside and thunder rumbles in the distance.)  
Hikaru (leaning back, watching Asuka's head carefully): No wonder Shinji ran off. When I came inside, he told me that he needed to get something.   
Asuka (biting her lip): ...  
Hikaru (crossing her arms as she looks around the small room): He seemed...hesitant to come inside. I took pity on him and told him that I would watch over you until he got back.  
Asuka (laughing coughing bitterly): He's a dummkopf! He won't know 'ow to take care of hisself if ah were no' around!  
Hikaru (her eyes sly): Really? So that's why Shinji always makes your lunches?  
(Asuka's hands tighten on the sheets.)  
Hikaru (rubbing her chin): Does most the cleaning around the apartment?  
(Asuka grits her teeth.)  
Hikaru (bracing her chin on her hands, waiting): ...does most of the laundry? Even your panties?  
Asuka (shooting up in bed): Are ya gonna leave or aren't ya?!  
(Hikaru grins at the other girl and pulls up a tray of food.)  
Hikaru (smiling): Only after you've eaten. You need your strength.  
Asuka (snatching up the tray): Bitch!  
Hikaru (chuckling): You won't deal with me any other way.  
Asuka (thinking as she crammed a mouthful of rice into her mouth): True...  
-----  
(An hour later.)  
Asuka (shouting with her arms crossed): NO! Absolutely no'!  
Hikaru (sitting cross-legged on the bedroom floor, pleading): Come on, Asuka! I would think you would feel honored!  
Asuka (snapping at the girl): Be drawn by ya! No! Ya can't!  
Hikaru (drawing quickly on the pad of paper in front of her): Here, let me show you what I can do.  
(Asuka gapes at the Sixth Child. She can't believe that the girl was going over her head.)  
Asuka (gathering her wits): Ya little wit! Will ya-  
Hikaru (laughing out loud, turning the pad of paper on the Second Child): There.  
(There was no there about it. Hikaru had quickly thrown together a manga sketch of Asuka, complete with a wild mane, fire for breath, and flaming eyes.)  
Asuka (falling out of bed, trying to snatch the picture out of Hikaru's hand): Give me that! Baka! Dummkopf! Ya hav' no respect for the ill!  
Hikaru (dancing to the other side of the room, laughing): I thought you weren't sick.  
Asuka (breathing heavily as she stood opposite of Hikaru): A-Ah'm no'! Now, give me tha' sketch!  
Hikaru (dodging just out of range): On one condition!  
Asuka (growling): Wha'?!  
Hikaru (serious for the first time): You...let me sketch you...for real...please?   
(Asuka is about to make another lunge for the pad when she notices the darkness in Hikaru's eyes. This is about as close to begging that she had ever seen the Sixth Child.)  
Hikaru (with a little smile): Come on...let me stroke your ego a little bit. I promise, I will not make fun of you. If it is good, I will even let you have it.  
Asuka (considering Hikaru for a moment): Okay...fine. But...if ya screw it up...ah'm takin' it outta yer ass!  
Hikaru (grinning again as Asuka lay back down and Hikaru sat in the chair): You're welcome to try.  
---------------------   
(The rain was really coming down, now. Shinji gazes out the glass-doors next to him and finds that the foothills in the distance are lost in the downpour. In the distance, a flash of lightning reaches down to the ground like a root growing out of heaven. In a second, it is gone, leaving an after-image on his retina.)   
(A cool, delicate hand slides lightly over his hair and he jumps at the contact. He looks up and finds Rei studying his hair.)  
Rei (softly): You are still wet.  
(Shinji offers a relieved smile as he picks up an edge of the towel sitting around his neck and rubs his hair a little more.)  
Shinji: I'm much better now, thank to you.   
(Rei studies him for a moment, then moves around the edge of the couch and sits down in the rocking chair across from him. It is then that he notices the tea set on a tray, sitting in Rei's hands.)  
Shinji (blinking): Where did you get that from, Rei? I didn't get you a tea set when I furnished this place!   
(Rei looks down at the delicate pot and twin cups as she sets them on the low table between the two Children. The hand-painted design of a white lark among fragile, gold trimmed reeds had appealed to the First Child when she had first saw it.)  
Rei (softly): I...bought it when I was coming home from school a few days ago. It was in the window of a small shop and I...had to buy it.   
Shinji (blinking): Had to?  
Rei (nodding slowly): Yes... The old woman of the shop was surprised to see me walk inside... She said that she had seen me walk by her store many times, but had never thought I would come inside. "No one really maintains the old traditions anymore." She told me.   
(Rei looks up at Shinji questioningly and he couldn't help but think of the old man at the old Art museum he and Hikaru had once gone to. It seems to the Third Child, that all the things that made humanity what it was...was slowly fading away.)  
(Rei's head lowers as she pours herself a cup of green tea. The soft, blue locks of her hair caresses her cheeks and Shinji was struck by how traditional Rei seemed...without even meaning to. Her hands move carefully, gracefully as she moves the kettle and tray to the table. She seems...at peace. Rei looks up to find Shinji gaping at her. She blinks, confused, at him.)  
Rei (gently): Is something wrong?  
Shinji (waving his hands in front of him): N-No! Nothing's wrong, Rei!  
(She gestures to the other cup and looks at him, the question in her eyes.)  
Shinji (relaxing for the first time in hours): Yes...I would love a cup.   
(The hot tea sends a small cloud of steam into the air as she pours him a cup and hands it to him. The cup seems as fragile as an eggshell in his hands, but it feels good there as well. He feels himself settle into Rei's couch and watches the girl across from him breathe across the tea to cool it down a little bit.)  
Rei (her eyes lowered): You are running away...again.  
Shinji (blinking): W-What do you mean?  
(Shinji sees an almost smile flicker across the girl's lips just before she sips some of the tea.)  
Rei (glancing slowly up at him): You have...a look in your eyes. The Second and Sixth Children are...fighting again.  
(Shinji forces himself to take a sip of tea and sighs as he feels the warmth flow down into his belly.)  
Shinji (softly): Maybe...if I'm not there, they won't fight.  
Rei: ...  
Shinji (smiling into his tea): There's...always hope, right?  
(Rei lifts her head and cocks it to one side, considering Shinji. The Third Child can't help but feel that she is weighting his soul...somehow. Her red eyes glint in the fading light and she takes another sip of her tea.)  
Rei: ...yes.  
(She turns her face toward the glass doors, looking out into the mists of the storm. The pale, cool light makes it seem like the First Child's face is made of marble. Her eyes seem like...they are on fire with knowledge.)  
Rei (slowly): Let us hope now...  
(That is when the Childrens' cell-phones went off.)  
--------------------------  
(Within NERV Command Center.)  
Natasha (shouting): What is it? Where is the bastard?!  
Shigeru (looking over his instrument panel): Uncertain! It's like...it's everywhere!  
(Natasha looks up to gaze out at the Threat Board. The holographic display reveals that Shigeru is speaking what he knows to be the truth. The Russian woman's eyes widen as she calls up the city map. The MAGI have confirmed the Blue wavelength signature, but all they can detect is a vast, blue spot that covers about the entire city of Tokyo-3 like a blemish.)  
Natasha (growling to herself): ...Blind as a bat!   
Maya (turning from her console): Ma'am, I just got a call from Major Katsuragi. She's requesting a transport into NERV Central!  
Natasha (blinking, thinking): Ah...yes. Nevermind that we are all sick at body and spirit. The demons keep coming!  
Natasha (barking): Scramble a Class-D transport-  
Maya (her eyes widening): Ma'am...that is extremely light-weight. If the Major and Children are caught out in the open-  
Natasha (stomping her foot): Do as I say, Lieutenant! If they are caught out in the open, PERIOD, it is game over! Understand?! What is human technology against the might of the Angels?!  
(Maya blushes hotly under Natasha's scowl and relays the order, quietly. Lieutenant Karpov almost apologizes to the younger woman, but stops herself. It was never wise to have subordinates that questioned your orders at every turn. Nervousness, even fear, could be a good thing on the Command floor.)  
(Natasha looks over her shoulder at the two forms at the top of the Command Tower. Supreme Commander Ikari is at his usual spot, watching over the bridge of his joined hands.)  
Natasha (turning back to the Threat Board, thinking): Look how well the tactic has worked on me.  
-------------------------------------  
(At the Katsuragi apartment, Misato is having concerns of her own, namely in one of her young charges.)  
Asuka (pulling weakly at the shirt she was tugging over her head): Ah'm Fine, Mis'to! Ah am!  
(When Asuka's head disappears into her shirt, Misato looks over at Hikaru. The Sixth Child's lips are tight and she is twisting her school skirt in her hands. Hikaru was hardly the sort of girl to give away to nervousness. The Angel could not have picked a worse time to attack.)  
Hikaru (softly): Asuka...maybe you should stay out of this one. You are hardly in top form-  
Asuka (her head bursting free of her shirt): Ah'll NO' be left outa fight cause ya two think Ah'm sick! And Ah'm no'!  
(Just then, Asuka staggers and almost collapses to the floor, but Hikaru gets there in time.)  
Hikaru (tightly): You were saying?! You aren't fooling anyone!  
Misato (firmly): Asuka, you are going to be on standby. I won't send you up there just so you can get in the way.  
Asuka (blinking back tears): Ah....Ah'm no' in the way...  
(There is a honk of a car and Misato starts limping towards the door.)  
Misato (over her shoulder): Well, in any case, we need to get to headquarters! Come on, you two! We have a job to do.  
(Asuka pushes away from Hikaru and slowly staggers after Misato.)  
Asuka (muttering): Come'n, Lady Artist.  
(Hikaru is alone in the Second Child's room and she seems to breathe deeply, drawing in Asuka's determination. Her spirit, her fearlessness, her arrogance. It had been good being here.)  
Asuka (shouting, then groaning): Come-ON! Ohhhh....ma head...  
Hikaru: Coming!  
(The Sixth Child pauses at the door and lets a piece of paper drift from her fingers. The paper flutters through the air, through the distance sound of thunder, and comes to rest on Asuka's pillow. On the paper, an image of Asuka was sketched out. Despite the firm, defiant curve of her lips and eyebrows, there is a gentle glow in her eyes that would have put the Second Child to shame...)  
-----------------------------------------  
(The boy stands on top of one of the Tokyo-3's buildings. The storm whips at his white hair and he watches the city with something that could be called curiosity. The skies are ominous and lightning crackles down like briefly lived roots from the sky.)  
Boy (whispering): Beginning...  
(The red-eyed boy frowns and seems to roll the word around in his mouth. There are so many ideas roaming through his mind, yet he appears to be without the words to project himself. He can feel the Entity out among the structures which is kin, yet alien to himself. He can feel its hunger, its need for destruction. It is a beast which knows only how to destroy that which is perverted, yet like itself...and like himself.)  
Boy: ...more...lyrics...words...  
(That doesn't seem right. The words are that the back of his mind. The ability to express them are just beyond his reach. The boy sighs roughly and sits cross-legged, with his head bowed, on the roof of the building. His eyes close as he tries to force the sounds to come to his mouth. Even as he seeks the answers to his unspoken questions, the Entity...the Angel is stalking among the buildings, its body flickering in and out of the visual spectrum. It seems to grin with is long mouth a moment before it flickers away again.)  
-----------------------------------------   
(She is watching her EVA when he arrives. Shinji had just stepped off the elevator. Shinji and Rei had arrived after Misato and her group, so Shinji is a little surprised that Hikaru hasn't gotten into her Unit, yet.)  
Hikaru (turning toward Shinji, smiling a little): Hello, Shinji, I was wondering when you would get here.  
Shinji (blinking as he walks toward her): You were waiting for me?  
Hikaru (folding her hands lightly behind her back, nodding): Uh-huh...  
Shinji (looking around): Um...is it about me leaving you at Misato's place? I-I'm sorry if you are mad-  
Hikaru (smiling truly now): I'm not mad.  
Shinji (sighing deeply): Good...  
Hikaru (stepping toward Shinji): I wanted to give you something...before we go up.  
Shinji (lifting a brow): ...W-What is it?  
Hikaru (opening a palm to Shinji and revealing a gold ring to him): This.  
Shinji (blinking, and looking cautiously at her face): Whose is it?  
Hikaru (placing it gently in his hand): It was my brother's...before...before... Just before. It has always given me luck.   
(Shinji looks at the Sixth Child as he rolls the ring carefully between his fingers. EVA pilots aren't supposed to wear jewelry in the Entry Plug. It was just common sense, considering the environmental dangers of piloting the Evangelions.)  
Shinji (looks up at Hikaru under his eyebrows): But, Hikaru, shouldn't you keep this? If it gives you luck-  
Hikaru (chuckling softly, shaking her head as she takes a step back toward her plug): Shinji, danger always seems to find you before anyone else.  
Shinji (reaching for the girl): Hikaru...  
Hikaru (turning and running across the catwalk): See you top-side!  
(Shinji feels a tremor under his feet and he knows that Misato is probably getting mad at him now. Now is not a time for indecision or second-thoughts. Still, as Shinji walks toward his Plug, he can't help but feel that the ring, Hikaru's brother's ring, was burning his palm through the gloves.)  
--------------------------  
(It is a firestorm above. Despite the tremors and the thought that the Angel was on a rampage, it never really hit that it was   
Tokyo-3 taking the damage. That was until now. As the Evangelions move through the city, each stalking slowly, with weapons held ready, the pilots find themselves gazing at the burning ruins.)  
Hikaru (softly, her voice hushed): W-Why? Why would the Angel do this? They...never paid any attention to the buildings before.  
(Unit 04 moves past an apartment building that was had a corner of the building sliced cleanly off. Even as Hikaru looks, she can see that the edges of the cut are glowing and steaming in the rain. It is such an unreal sight and the Sixth Child quietly questions herself if it is all a dream.)  
Misato (her face appearing in a floating screen next to Hikaru's face, her voice grim): It doesn't really matter why the Angel is doing this. The way of these creatures have never really followed a logical path. Focus on the mission at hand and we will grieve our dead later.  
(Hikaru bites her lip and turns her face away from the wreaked building, even as she knows that all the residents surely hadn't had enough time to evacuate.)  
Misato (more gently): Let's put an end to this quickly...so we can pick up the pieces again...  
Shinji (his face appearing next to Misato's): Where is it, Misato? I'm seeing the damage trail, but no Angel!  
Rei (her eyes a darker red than usual as her face appears): Its almost as if it's...stalking us...  
(The Children and Misato hold quiet at that comment.)  
---------  
Misato (looking sharply at Hyuga): I need a position on the target, Hyuga! Where is it?!  
Hyuga (tensely): Yes, ma'am...  
(The young man clenches his jaw as he runs a series of scans, as he had a the beginning of the attack. Still, the MAGI are unable to tell him more than there is an Angel within the boundaries of Tokyo-3.)  
Hyuga (shaking his head in frustration): Nothing! All the MAGI can tell us is the area which the Angel could be. But that's it!  
(Suddenly, there is a slight tremble and Natasha looks at the ceiling.)  
Natasha (softly): That one was close, we better come up with something quick...  
--------------------------  
(Ritsuko turns away from the window and walks back to Touji's bedside. She had been paged several times turning the last couple of minutes, but she choose to ignore them. The rain is beating against the glass of the single window harder than ever. Despite the darkness outside, Ritsuko doesn't turn on the lights.)  
Ritsuko (looking down at the Fourth Child): I bet you never thought you would be here again, Touji.   
(The boy remains silent, his face too pale and the skin bruised dark purple from the nightmares. The Fourth Child murmurs and Ritsuko touches his arm. He calms down at the human contact.)  
Ritsuko (glances over at the small cot in the corner of the room, insuring that Hidaka was still asleep): Did you know...when it first became apparent that the Evangelions would only accept children as pilots...I was happy? No, happy is not the right word...relieved...  
(Silence.)  
Ritsuko (wrapping her hand gently around Touji's arm): Children don't need logical explanations. You feed them what they want to hear and you have yourself a loyal agent to the Grand Ol' Cause. Adults are not so willing to throw their lives away on someone's say so.  
(Silence.)  
Ritsuko (closing her eyes): ...but then, I began to lose my doctor's detachment. Shinji, Asuka, Hikaru...and you...I started understand human beings on a level I never wanted to know. It was like looking in a mirror for the first time in your life and realizing that you were horribly deformed...  
(Touji murmurs again, then quiets at a gentle stroke of Ritsuko's thumb on his arm.)  
Ritsuko (softly): Even Rei...an experiment...a human toy...she took on the traits of a child.   
(Ritsuko takes a shaky breath.)  
Ritsuko: Everyone has their own demons, Touji. I'm afraid that when you all came along...I sold my soul.   
(Ritsuko's breath breaks.)  
Ritsuko (tears forming in her eyes): A-And...I want you to know how sorry I am... I have been selfish for so long. I never meant for any of this to happen. I b-blinded myself with a façade of love and a higher purpose...but I never wanted this to happen.   
(Doctor Akagi feels like she's choking, as if her sins are strangling the life from her. Her shoulders tremble as her guilt drags its hooks into her soul...)  
(That is when she feels a hand take hers.)  
Touji (croaking weakly): You women...cry too much...  
(Ritsuko bites her lip as she drags her free hand across her face, trying to push the mask of control back into place.)  
Ritsuko: M-Mr. Suzuhara...it's good to see you awake...  
Touji (grinning gently): And you are all proud...as hell...  
Ritsuko (standing up on unsteady feet): Well, sometimes its all we have.  
(The doctor is for once thankful for the darkness, for even as she speaks so calmly, tears are burning paths down her cheeks. It is as if something has broken loose in her that she can't fix...especially with him holding her hand.)  
Ritsuko (turning her head away): I think I have been lazy in my duties long enough. If you will excuse me-  
Touji (holding on as tight as he could with his bandaged hand): Ritsuko...  
Ritsuko (glances at Touji): Hmmm?  
Touji (grinning lopsidedly): I forgive ya...  
(In that moment, Ritsuko Akagi wishes things are different. That she had known more about herself, about what it meant to be something more to someone else. To know love in its true form. To be.....to be a mom...)  
(And in that moment, Ritsuko forgets about her pride, about the Angel rampaging through Tokyo-3. For the first time in her life, Ritsuko Akagi lets go of her famous control and wraps her arms around Touji's slender waist and cries. It is a soul deep grief that had been killing her for years now, but she can feel its weight lifting even now...)  
(Touji blinks, startled by the sudden explosion of emotion. He feels weak and lightheaded, but he's a bit better at dealing with emotional women than he was what seems like a lifetime ago. He sighs and brings his arms around the weeping woman, comforting her with his willing shoulder.)  
Touji (shaking his head slightly, whispering to the ceiling): I just don't understand women...   
--------------------------------  
(Tokyo-3 is burning. Because of the suddenness of the attack, the buildings of the city are only now beginning to descend underground.)  
(Shinji moves Unit-03 carefully around the corner of a lowering skyscraper, a handgun in the EVA's armored fist. Even as he searches for the target, he can't help but remember the last time he carried the handgun. He had been gloated into taking point by Asuka and he, in a rare moment of masculine pride, thought it necessary to prove to her that he was her equal on the battlefield. He had been a fool and had fallen easy prey to the Angel, waiting for him.)  
(He had almost been killed by the Angel that day. The feeling of wrongness is coming back now as shattered glasses and twisted debris crunches under the Evangelion's metal-shod feet like so much snow.)  
(He is so focused on his burning, steaming surroundings that when Asuka's tired face appears on a screen next to his own, he gives a little, embarrassing squeak.)  
Shinji (rubbing the back of his head self-consciously): Oh, A-Asuka, its just you...  
Asuka (sniffing, glaring at him with red-rimmed eyes): An' what's dat supposed ta mean?  
Shinji (looking around at his surroundings once more, before kneeling the EVA next to a crumbling, abandoned apartment building): It's...very quiet out here, Asuka. I ...just wasn't expecting you to call now, that's all.  
(Shinji looks at Asuka from under his brags, hoping that the fiery tempered pilot would let it go at that. She stares hard at the Third Child for a few moments before sighing and leaning back in her seat.)  
Asuka (exhausted): Ah know...sorry...  
(At Shinji's lifted brow, Asuka looks away from him, pretending to find something wrong with her right control grip.)  
Shinji (watching Asuka avoid his eyes for a few moments, then): I-Is there something you wanted, Asuka?  
Asuka (looking proud, pointing her nose up a notch): Now why would I want something from you, baka?  
(Her arrogance cracks when she is struck by a violent series of coughs.)  
(Silence.)  
(Asuka bows her head on the screen, looking away.)  
Asuka (softly): Shinji...Ah didn't want to chase ya away today. Ah...didn't mean to snap at ya...  
Shinji (smiling slightly): I know, Asuka. You're sick. I can understand that your temper might be a little...shorter than usual.  
Asuka (flaring): Ah'm no' sick!  
(Silence.)  
Asuka (moaning, pressing a palm to her aching forehead): No' tha' sick, anyway...  
(Shinji leans back in the cockpit, staring out at the shifting, burning city around him without really seeing it.)  
Shinji (gently): Asuka...why is it that you are so against being sick? It happens to everyone.  
Asuka: ...  
Shinji (casting a measuring look over at Asuka's bowed face): You...you don't have to tell me if you don't want to.  
Asuka: ...  
Shinji (sitting up to move his EVA out): ...I'm sorry...I-  
Asuka (very quietly): Ah want...to tell ya, Shinji...  
(Shinji's hands freeze just over the control handles, looking wide-eyed at the Second Child's image. She seems to be struggling with herself and can't quite bring herself to look him in the eye, as if she's afraid he would see something secret there.)  
Asuka (taking a shivering breath): When Ah was a youn' girl...my momma got sick. My father...wrapped up in research...ignored her.   
(Shinji finds himself holding his breath without really knowing why. It is as if Asuka Langley Soryu is standing at the edge of some great cliff and all he can do is hope that the wind doesn't knock her over.)  
Asuka (shivering openly): Ah...vowed tha' it would...never hopeless...so dependant on a man! Sniffling and begging fo' attention. Bein' too weak to fend fo' herself...  
Shinji (pressing his lips together to keep from speaking): ...  
Asuka (voice cracking): But...Ah...  
(Something is moving outside the EVA, but Shinji ignores it.)  
Asuka: ...but, Ah...  
(Matter flashes in the firelight, then fades back into the invisible spectrums.)  
Asuka (fresh tears in her eyes as she finally levels her eyes on Shinji): But...Ah...don't wanna push you away...!  
Shinji (eyes growing wide): ...Asuka...  
(That is when the world turns on end in Unit 01's cockpit...)  
-------------------------  
Misato (shouting): Status report!  
Maya (disbelieving): Unit 01 is down! Its like it was just picked up by thin air and throwing into a nearby building!  
Asuka (on the comm channel): Shinji?! Shinji!!  
Misato (snapping out orders frantically): Rei, Hikaru! Converge on Sector 12! Move it!  
Rei and Hikaru: Yes, ma'am!  
--------------------------  
(It feels as though he's in a dream...a nightmare. His chest is burning and he can't quite understand where he is. There is a sound in his ears that is both human and inhuman in its malice. Its sounds like...roaring.)   
(There is another sound in his ears. Sounds like screaming...people. Screaming at him.)  
Misato (shouting): Shinji! Shinji, get up! Please!  
(....warning.)  
Shinji (shaking his spinning head): W-What?  
(There is something moving among the wall of flames before him. It is almost like a trick of the heat on hot pavement. Unit 01 moves sluggishly as it tries to free itself from the mangled remains of the apartment building.)  
Hikaru (desperate): Get up! GET up, Shinji!  
(The wavy form in front of Unit 01 wavers, then Shinji's nightmare appears before him, as if an invisible cloak had been thrown away. It has a wide body with deceptively thin arms. It is hunched over, with its head connected to its body through a bridge of flesh. Its massive legs are out of proportion to the rest of it, almost like the mighty legs of the dragons of legends. The color of its flesh ripples, as if the entity is underwater rather in the middle of a burning city.)   
Shinji (gaping at the creature): My...God...  
(The Angel's eyes watch him in a mockery of amusement, its thin lips peeling back to reveal sharp, wicked teeth. Its eyes are...green...familiar green...a green Shinji has tried to forget, but remembers time and again in his darkest dreams.)  
(The target takes a step forward and something screeches against the ruined pavement of the shattered street. Shinji looks down and feels sick to his stomach. Where on a human being there would have been hands are replaced by long, vicious-looking blades that drag on either side of the monster. They are...vibrating, cutting through pavement, metal, and anything else with horrible ease.)  
Shinji (shaking his head in terror): N-No...!  
(Unit 01 reacts to the Third Child's fear and unconsciously tries to push its back further into the wreaked building. It is then that the Angel throws back its head and roars with its inhuman laughter again.)  
Shinji (gagging): O-Oh...God...  
(Shinji loses the contents in his stomach in the LCL.)  
-------------------------------  
(Units 00 and 04 have taken to the rooftops of Tokyo-3. The method is not the easiest, since each Evangelion is pulling long, thick power cables behind them. More often than not, the Units would get snagged on a ruined edge of a building or a still-standing communications beams.)  
Hikaru (biting her lip between her teeth, under her breath): If only the streets weren't in such bad shape!  
(Unit 04 lands on a rooftop of a smothering business building and one of the EVA's feet crashes through the weakened roofing and several floors down. The EVA drops its assault rifle as it tries to pull its trapped foot out.)  
(Hikaru looks across the street and finds Unit 00 watching from the top of a modest apartment building.)  
Hikaru (waving Unit 04's hand at the other Evangelion): Don't worry, I'll get it out in a moment.  
Rei (coolly): Hurry. That structure is burning from the ground floor up. It will not hold your weight long.  
Hikaru (turning her eyes back to her EVA's buried foot again, to herself): Right...  
(Unit 00 peers over the side of the building and sees that the seemingly senseless attacks on the city seem to have damaged the underground armor and support. As it was, this sector was on a man-made fault-line, threatening to collapse and come that much closer to the Geo-Front. Rei looks up at the building across from her; it was a little higher than the building she is on now, but there should not be a problem.)  
Rei (absently as her EVA prepared to jump): We need to get out of this sector quickly, Sixth Child.  
(Unit 04 looks up in time to see it happen. Unit 00 takes a quick step forward and launches itself at the next building. Unfortunately for Rei, she does not see that her power cable had gotten snagged on the radio transmitter at the top of her building. Her EVA's hands are just about to grab the edge of the taller building when her EVA is snapped back. The power cable pulls the EVA back toward the apartment building like a destruction crew's wreaking ball.)  
(The apartment structure was not built that sort of abuse and folds as the EVA crashes into it. The building shakes and is still for a second, as if stricken by the mortal blow dealt by Unit 00. Then, the Evangelion disappears under tons of metal, plaster, and glass.)  
Hikaru (crying out): Rei!  
Misato (on the comm channel): Rei! Rei! Answer me!  
(Silence.)  
Misato (her voice cracking): R-Rei?!  
Rei (thickly, quietly): I...am here...  
Misato (sighing): Rei...can you move?  
(For a moment, Hikaru sees the rumble shift very slightly, then go still.)  
Rei (softly): Unit 00's...legs are pinned and one of its arms are trapped underneath its torso...  
Hikaru (moving toward the street): I'll get you-  
Rei (sharply): No!  
Hikaru (pausing, shocked at the passion in the First Child's voice): Rei...?  
Rei (her strained face looking right at Hikaru on the screen): ....save Shinji...  
(Hikaru gasps and can't speak for a moment.)  
Maya (quietly): Rei...she's not in any danger...for now. As long as the sector's support remains stable for a little bit more, she should be fine until we get to her.  
Misato (sighing deeply): ...very well, Hikaru, continue toward Sector 12. Hurry up...  
Hikaru (breaking free of the building, nodding): Yes, ma'am!  
(Unit 04 hops to the next building while the First Child closes her eyes. There is murmuring just beyond her sense of hearing, as if there is a crowd just outside her entry plug. Then, she can hear a single voice from the beyond, slow, vicious, dark...and it frightens her.)  
----------------------------------  
(Shinji sweats despite the controlled environment of Unit 01's entry plug. The Evangelion peeks around the edge of a shattered building, searching for the Angel that had disappeared from his sight again. When Shinji sees nothing, he dares a glance down at the Unit's right leg. The close encounter with the building had left a serious gash on the EVA's thigh, tearing armor and artificial muscle alike. At least, Shinji's mind saw the muscle as fake. Surely it isn't real.)  
Shinji (quietly): Misato...do you read?  
Misato (her face appearing): Yes, yes, are you okay, Shinji?   
(Her face wavers on the screen due to mysterious interference from the Angel. Shinji winces at a sudden crackle of static before the Major's face comes back.)  
Shinji (looking down at his leg again): The EVA has taken some damage...I don't think retreat is possible-  
Gendo (a Voice-Only icon appearing besides Misato's): Retreat is not an option, Pilot Ikari. As you can see, the Target is causing a large amount of damage to Tokyo-3. It must be contained.  
Misato (her face looking off screen, gritting her teeth): All due respect, sir, but Unit 01 can hardly hope to deal with an Angel of this caliber in its present condition!  
Gendo (calmly): You seem to have no faith in your pilots, Major Katsuragi.  
Misato (scowling): I didn't say that.  
(Shinji feels the hairs on the back of his neck raise and he lifts his eyes away from the holographic screens. He sees the shimmering outline of an Angel and he sends Unit 01 into an awkward, forward roll out of sheer reflex than any real skill. A second later, the Third Child hears the sound of one of the Angel's vibrating blades rip through the shattered building's upper levels. Debris ricochet off the EVA's back as Shinji tries to drive Unit 01 to its feet again.)  
Misato (crying out): Shinji?!  
Shinji (turning the EVA's head over its shoulder, finding the Angel grinning at him): For the love of God, Misato, help me!  
Misato (touching her lips with her hand in helplessness): Shinji! Hang on! Please, hang on!  
----------------------------  
(Tears of frustration course down Asuka's cheeks as she bows her head in deep, desperate concentration. Like that brief period when she couldn't synchronize with her EVA, all she feels is static beyond herself. Where before, her beloved machine would sit just beyond her senses like a kind hand in the dark before, now there is only the sense that the drugs in her system is interfering with that special something that makes her an EVA pilot...something more than any mere human being on the planet.)  
Asuka (gritting her teeth): Gawddamnit! Move!  
(Silence, except for the hum of the entry plug.)  
Asuka (sniffing, shaking her head violently as she hears Shinji cry out again for help): A-Ah'm better than dis!  
(Humming that seems louder.)  
Asuka (her voice broken, her body burning with fever and grief as it sags in the pilot seat): Shinji....don't die....  
--------------------------   
(Unit 01 reaches for the auto-rifle that it had dropped when the Angel had first attacked. Shinji can feel the Angel right behind him and he spins, screaming a wordless battle-cry as he pulls the trigger.)  
Shinji (screaming): ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!  
(The Angel seems to slip in between the burning tracers that rain across the building behind it. The Target slips back into the visual spectrum as it lashes out, not at the EVA, but at the weapon in its armored fists. Shinji feels the impact on the rifle a second before he is blinded by the gun's ammunition exploding. Right behind the blindness comes the intense pain of holding the figurative firecracker in his hand.)  
Shinji (wailing, holding his right wrist): GHAhhhhhhAAA!!!  
(Shinji, in some distant, cold part of his mind, knows that the Evangelion had just lost a few fingers and that the pain is not truly his own, but the EVA's. Still, he can not make the pain that seems so real go away. Shinji's vision just begins to clear when the Angel kicks Unit 01 in the chest and the EVA lands on its back in a field of rubble. Shinji stares up with terrified eyes as the cackling monster lifts one of its blades that should be hands, preparing himself for the fatal blow.)  
(The sound of assault rifle fire.)  
(The Angel is struck in the back by the tracers and is staggered by them. It howls and glares over its shoulder. Unit 04 is straddling two crumbling buildings, its assault rifle firing again. The Angel is struck twice more before it vanishes into thin air and wavers away into a wall of fire.)  
Shinji (faintly, smiling weakly past his pain): Hikaru...  
(Unit 04 hops down from the building with a ground shaking thud. The EVA strides through the debris, toward Unit 01 like a child through Christmas snow.)  
Hikaru (whispering): S-Shinji? I-I'm so sorry, I got here as fast as I could...  
Shinji (urging his EVA to its feet): What matters...is that you are here now...  
(The two EVAs gaze at each other silently for a moment. Then, the comm channel chirps and Misato's face reappears.)  
Misato (sighing): Hikaru...good.   
(She closes her eyes for a moment, clearly trying to pull herself together in front of the Children.)  
Misato (more firmly): Now...don't let your guard down. Cover each other... Shinji, are you able to go on?  
(Shinji looks over at Unit 04 for a moment, then pulls his Progressive Knife from its holster and holds it loosely in his left fist.)  
Misato (concerned, but nodding): Okay...cover each other. We are going to try to get Rei out and hopefully she will be able to help you two soon. Keep your eyes open!  
Shinji and Hikaru: Yes, ma'am!  
-------------------------------  
(The Command Center door opens behind Misato and she looks with distracted eyes over her shoulder. Her eyes widen at the sight of Ritsuko standing there. It isn't the doctor's presence that surprises the Major so much as her eyes. It is as though the shadows had been lifted from the Doctor's gaze.)  
(Misato opens her mouth to respond to Ritsuko's arrival, but another voice drowns her out.)  
Gendo (not looking at Ritsuko, very softly): Returning to duty, Doctor Akagi?  
Ritsuko (walking toward Misato and Natasha's position): The Fourth Child has come out of his coma...he will be fine soon.  
Gendo (his eyes hidden in the glare of his glasses and his mouth covered by the bridge of his hands): Is that what you abandoned your post for, Doctor?  
(Ritsuko pauses in the center of the platform, right under the Supreme Commander's position.)  
Ritsuko (with a hint of a smile on her face): I found what I have been looking for in that room, sir.  
(She finally looks back over her shoulder, up at Gendo.)  
Ritsuko (quietly): Was I wrong?  
Gendo: ...carry on, Doctor.  
Ritsuko (looking to the Command Center's main screens): Thank you, sir.  
Misato (as Ritsuko comes close): Is Touji...well?  
Ritsuko (looking at Misato): In everything that matters...  
Misato (closing her eyes briefly): Thank you...  
Natasha (her arms crossed, firmly): You two can have your heart to heart later. The Angel is on the move again.  
(Misato is startled by the tense tone in the Russian woman's voice. The Major follows the Lieutenant's gaze to the image of Unit 04 and understands. The other woman has hardly had the time to get used to sending children to battle as Misato. Major Katsuragi allows herself a moment to feel sympathy for the lean, hard, yet concerned woman, before turning her focus back on the matter at hand.)  
--------------------------------  
Hikaru (quietly): Shinji...?  
Shinji (his eyes scanning the surrounding walls of fire carefully): Y-Yeah?  
(Hikaru glances over her EVA's shoulder and she can see the wounded hand.)  
Hikaru: Is...your hand...?  
Shinji (sighing): If they lower to bio-feedback levels, I might not be able to defend myself on the next attack.  
Hikaru (blinking rapidly): I'm...so sorry.  
Shinji (smiling despite the fire radiating from his right hand): What for? You came, didn't you?  
Hikaru (shaking her head, her voice thick): I-I will never let you down again, Shinji...I promise.  
Shinji (looking over his shoulder at Unit 04): Hikaru-  
(The air distorts right in front of the other Evangelion and the Third Child's eyes snap wide.)  
Shinji (shouting): Hikaru! Look out!  
(Hikaru turns her eyes back to in front of her and she gasps as her finger convulsively pulls the trigger of her control handle. Unit 04 opens fire on the area in front of it and the distorted figure weaves and dodges about. A shell ricochets off the Angel's shoulder and the creature screams. It flicks into the visible spectrum and it lashes out at Unit 04 with a massive leg. Hikaru begins to dodge, but its fast enough.)  
Shinji (screaming as he sees Unit 04 slipping across the ruined street on its shoulder): Hikaru! Are you okay?! Answer me!!   
(On the comm channel, he can hear the Sixth Child's weak, broken breathing. He turns a vicious gaze on the Angel whose body was rippling through the colors of the rainbow. Its inhuman chuckling could be heard on his audio pickups.)  
Misato (her face appearing): Shinji! Retreat!  
Shinji (glaring at her): What?!  
Misato (looking pained): We have to regroup! We are going to have to think of something! Grab Unit 04 and we will cover you with conventional weapons fire!  
(Shinji grits his teeth, then lowers his head.)  
Shinji (very softly): ...no.  
Misato: Shinji!  
Shinji (savagely, his head still bowed): NO! If we retreat, who knows how many more will be killed! Misato...I know NERV was never able to put out the evacuation order to Tokyo-3...  
Misato (biting her lip and looking away from Shinji's face): ...  
Shinji (looking, not at Misato, but at the Angel who stood waiting before Unit 01): If I don't finish this here...who knows how many more may die... This...monster will rampage if we don't give it a...target...  
Misato (looking at Shinji with tears in her eyes): ...Shinji...!  
Shinji (reaching out and killing the comm channel): Goodbye, Misato.  
Misato (frantic, reaching out): Shinji! Don't you-  
(And then there is silence. Several other calls come in as he stares across the fire and rumble at the Angel. Asuka, Misato, even Ritsuko call him, but he continues to manually block them. He is...terrified...but he is so tired, and he's not running away anymore.)  
Shinji (narrowing his eyes): You...wanted this, didn't you? You wanted to fight with me...  
(For the first time, the Angel does not laugh. It merely watches him with those inhuman, green eyes. Shinji feels as though his soul is being striped bare and studied by the monster before him. Strangely...this does not put fear in him as he would have though. Instead...there is a feeling of resignation, as though he knew that this would happen...as if it were written in his DNA.)  
(Shinji grits his teeth, then he lets out the battle-cry that had been building in his gut and charges toward the Angel, the Prog knife humming as Unit 01 thrust it toward the Entity. The Angel dodges out of the way, circling the Evangelion slowly.)  
Shinji (stabbing out, shouting): Stop moving, damn you!  
(Unit 01 slashes toward the Angel in a wide arc, just missing contact. The Angel suddenly roars with laughter and rakes the Evangelion's left shoulder with one of its blades. Shinji screams as the vibrating blade passes through armor and EVA flesh easily. The EVA staggers away, the Progressive Knife falling from numb fingers.)  
Shinji (whispering): ...no...  
(The Angel slides forward on deceptively heavy feet and carves a deep "C" into the Evangelion's chest. As the Third Child rolls his head back and screams, the armor falls away, revealing raw, bleeding flesh underneath. The EVA curls around its wounded torso, covering the gushing wound the best it can with its arms. Shinji tastes blood in his mouth and he can hear the sound of the Command Center trying to call him, but he ignores it all.)  
(He slowly lifts his head and finds the Angel poised over him, one of its blades waiting over its head. When his eyes meet the Angel's the blade comes down, slashing across the EVA's head, from the right temple, over the eye, and off the chin. The agony comes, white, hot, and numbing. Shinji hears a noise at a distance as Unit 01 plows into a nearby skyscraper, shattering its silver, mirror-like windows. Shinji cannot see out his right eye and it feels like it is all that he can do to keep his face together. Somewhere, logic is telling him that it is the bio-feedback, but the rest of him can only think of the pain.)  
Misato (her face appearing, overriding his blocks): Shinji! Get up! Hurry! Its about to slice you in half!  
Shinji (weakly, thickly): Misato...I...hurt...  
Misato: Shinji! SHINJI!!  
(The world seems to slow down for Shinji Ikari as he turns his working eye up to stare at his killer. He almost wants to watch his end. To know that the pain will soon be over. The blade cuts down toward Unit 01 and Shinji knows that he can see his death in that burning edge.)  
(Then the shadow washes over his vision.)  
Shinji (his eye widening): ...no...  
(The shadow becomes a form...a figure...)  
Shinji (his numb fingers trying to make his EVA get up): ...No...  
(His nightmare...his nightmare given flesh...given reality...)  
Hikaru (shouting): Shinji-  
(The blade catches flesh...and continues on until it comes out to air again. Unit 04 stands before Unit 01, cut neatly through the center.)  
(Heartbeat.)  
Misato (hand covering her mouth): ...my God...  
(Heartbeat.)  
Asuka (covering her eyes, turning violently away from her video link, wailing): Hikaru! No!  
(Heartbeat.)  
(Natasha falls to her knees without knowing it. Her body goes cold and she feels her mouth trying to move...to say something, to do something, but one word.)  
Natasha (sobbing): NO! Nonononononononono!!!   
(The woman grabs her head and begins to scream, unable to accept or reject what has just happened. Somewhere in her mind, she knows that she is being restrained, that she is being taken away. But all she can say, over and over, is...)  
Natasha (her head bowed): Hikaru...my precious...precious...baby...oh, GOD!!  
(...Heartbeat.)  
(Shinji cannot bring a breath in...he can't breathe. Its like his mind is falling apart. Somewhere, he can feel a presence...one that he is shocked he didn't acknowledge earlier. ...The Beast...)  
(Shinji's eyes turn away from the collapsing form of Unit 04 without his knowledge and he finds himself starting at the shattered glass of the skyscraper.)  
(There is a sound around his ears...it sounds so much like plaster falling from a ceiling...)  
(Pain sheers through his mind...)  
Shinji: ...Hikaru...aaAARRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
(The green eye staring back at Shinji focuses and he feels the beast unleashed...)  
----------------------------  
Maya (crying out): Shinji's Synch-ratio just shot up to 300%!! Ma'am!  
Misato (bracing herself against the lieutenant's chair): Shinji...no...  
Ritsuko (her hands balling into fists): ...berserker ...  
(In the command tower above, Gendo Ikari lowers his eyes from the view screen.)  
-----------------------------  
(Unit 01 rears back from the collapsed building, staggering when it reaches its feet. The Angel seems a little confused by the Evangelion's loose body-stance. The EVA's arms hang limp at its sides and it looks as though the creation is breathing. Red blood from the destroyed Unit 04 pool at its feet and the EVA begins to tremble.)  
(The Angel takes a step toward Unit 01 and the EVA's head snaps up in an unnatural glance. Something seems to be building within the Unit's body and suddenly, cracks appear in the EVA's armor. The trembling becomes worse until the Evangelion seems to be in some sort of seizure. The Angel's hideous laughter stops, for there is something dangerous in the way the EVA is watching it.)  
(Without warning, the Angel lashes out at Unit 01 with a lightning fast strike. The Angel's blade never touches the EVA for Unit 01's hand catches the Angel's elbow before its ever got close. The Angel squeals and hops backward, measuring the Evangelion with quiet, green eyes.)  
(That is when the EVA draws a deep breath and opens its mouth is a glass-shattering scream. The ruined asphalt of the road around Unit 01 shutter as if in fear. The cracks in the EVA's armor suddenly explode in a shower of plating that embed themselves in the burning builds around it. The Angel takes a sudden step back at the sight of the naked Evangelion. The modifications the humans had done to the creation are obvious now, with its metal jaw, exposed muscles, and bone. The Progressive knives' housings over the EVA's shoulders are revealed as narrow pillars of metal and casing woven into Unit 01's flesh. The horn that had been on the EVA's nose is revealed as a sickle-shaped band of communication metal. The EVA's active Core is now pulsing with life that has been forced into sleep for so long. Even as human and Angel alike watch, the power cable at the EVA's back is sparking and smoking in its socket.)  
Misato (hands to her lips as her nightmare is revealed before her): Dear...God...  
(The EVA is panting like a dog, its hands twitching in delight and fury at the same time. Even as the EVA's bloodlust is fully unleashed, the human mind joined with it is supplying another layer of raw emotion. It is not a totally inhuman roar as the naked Evangelion launches itself at the hated Angel.)  
(The Angel strikes at the EVA as it comes within its sphere of attack. Somehow, the EVA moves around the blurring blades and grabs the Angel by the face. Stress cracks appear instantly in the Angel's head armor. The Angel screams and catches the EVA in the torso with a massive, claw-like foot. The EVA hurls back through the air at unbelievable speed and finishes off a falling business office in a cloud of amber-hued dust.)  
(The Angel growls as it begins to stalk toward the dust cloud. The dust seems to stir, then Unit 01 explodes from the haze. It latches onto the bigger Angel, its hands around the target's neck. The vibrating blades of the Angel whip around and attack the Unit with viciousness that covers both creatures in blood. Yet, the EVA is grinning into the Angel's wide eyes. It reaches behind it and grabs the power cord with a hand that is shaking violently. Unit 01 opens its mouth wide in a nerve-racking roar and the cable is wrapped around the Angel's neck with a crisp snap. The Angel stabs desperately at the EVA, its blades appearing out Unit 01's back. The strikes do not seem to be noticed by the Evangelion as its muscles heave with a last, fatal tug. The Angels' neck snaps wetly and the Angel collapses to the ground, with the EVA still latched to its front. A bigger grin appears on the creations face as it buries its hand in the dead Angel's belly and reveals the Angel's Core. Its mouth opens wide and it takes what it has won through combat...)  
-----------------------  
(Maya loses her stomach on the floor, unable to watch the horrible scene before her.)  
Misato (softly, numbly): ...Shinji...Shinji?  
(Static.)  
Ritsuko (her cool hand stroking the back of Maya's back, trying to soothe the other woman): ...Misato...there's...very little chance that-  
Misato (motioning her hand slowly, silencing Ritsuko): Don't say it...  
Hyuga (shaking): ...s-so, is that it?   
(Silence.)  
(Suddenly, the EVA rears back again and roars into the sky. It is then that a sound comes over the Comm channel. Misato looks with aged eyes toward the monitor.)  
Asuka (her face flushed with grief, her eyes frantic): Shinji?! Shinji! Answer me, ya dummkopf!   
(Silence.)  
Asuka (punching the command console): Answer me! Answer me!  
(The EVA seems to freeze on the monitor, as if listening to something.)  
Asuka (screaming): ANSWER ME!!  
Shinji (softly): I hear you.  
(The Command floor comes alive with shock. Gendo Ikari sits in his chair, watching the screen with his hands folded calmly before his face, anything but surprise on his face.)  
Asuka (sniffing): ...S-Shinji...?  
(A picture comes from the frozen Unit 01 and gasps erupt from the shocked NERV team. On the screen, the Third Child gazes out at them, his eyes quiet and sane. As if nothing has happened. Yet, something has happened... For now, his eyes are green...)  
---------------------------------  
(The skies over Tokyo-3 are red with the flames that are only now being brought under control. A cover-up is now impossible, those who had shielded NERV for so long now understand their true purpose. For those few that are not struck by the horror and impossible things that have begun to surface, they could be caught watching the sky. For, now, as in the US state of Alaska, the sky is red...and it seems to be moving.)   
Boy (looking to the sky, feeling fear): It is...beginning...  
---------------------------  
To Be Concluded...  
Author's Notes:  
Well, that's it for Chapter 9 and I hope that it was not a disappointment to those who have been waiting for this for some time! I've had a lot of things on my mind, but I do apologize for the long wait on getting this chapter out!  
Hikaru dying during the battle between the Angel and EVAs...I'm sorry to say, but that has been a part of my plan for a long time now, so doing think I have cracked under pressure against her or anything! As you will see in SBTA 10, she may be dead...but not necessarily gone!  
A few details to clear up before I wrap this up.   
* For those of you who did not understand why Asuka could not fight, it would seem that her illness was something that interfered with her connection with her EVA.   
* Touji's sudden "attack" was something that had to do with his reassignment to and interaction with Unit 03. Perhaps I will explain it more in SBTA 10...hmmm?   
* Shinji's eyes...the change in color...is an indication of a...deeper bonding...  
Well, that's about it for now. Hopefully, you all will not have to wait another half a year to hear what the conclusion is to this series! We can all pray, can't we? Hehehe...   
Next time on SBTA: the final impact, angels from above, and many voices made one! "Step Beyond the Abyss/ He said, 'With my hands in the past and future, My decision is...'"   
See you there!   



	11. Step Beyond the Abyss

--------------------------  
The Characters and concept of Neon Genesis Evangelion are property of Gainax. I created this "scenario" in the spirit of the TV series. I made it in the hope that it would open up people's minds and give something to a series that really touched me. This little series that I have created is a piece of fan fiction thought up by yours truly, so if you are going to copy or distribute this work, please give credit where it is due, k? Now enjoy!  
--------------------------  
Evangelion: Step beyond the Abyss  
  
Chapter Ten: Step Beyond the Abyss/ He said, "With my hand in the future and the past, My decision is..."  
By: N. T. Martin  
  
------------------------------  
(BACKGROUND:  
Okay, it has been a long time since I have put any sort of chapter for SBTA on this website. I hope that if any of you are readers from way back when this story started, that you read over the old chapters, or at least look over the chapter summaries in the Updates and Backgrounds page. If certain things don't make sense, that might be the reason.  
Now, then, at the start of the last chapter of SBTA, it would seem that the powerful Asuka Langley Soryu came down with the common cold. Due to her past, she refused to believe that she was sick and very nearly brained the Third Child for coming anywhere near her.  
In the meantime, Touji had an "attack" and ended up in the hospital where Ritsuko stayed at his side, finding herself tending to the Child that she has caused so much pain.  
A disquieted Hikaru goes to look after Asuka while Shinji finds himself seeking out the company of a serene Rei Ayanami.   
A new Angel attacks and ruins the city. Asuka is unable to pilot due to her sickness and the EVA team goes up against this new threat severely short-handed. Shinji is attacked by the Angel and Hikaru gives herself so that he might live. Natasha is driven mad and Unit 01 goes berserk, defeating the Angel with frightening ease. When coming back to NERV, the Third Child's eyes glow an Angel green...)  
(And now, the final chapter of "Step Beyond the Abyss." I hope you enjoy it!)  
------------------------------  
(Osaka International Airport.)  
(The crowds are heavy with business people and tourist. The crush is uncomfortable and the hushed roar of many, many conversations seems to be the soundtrack of such public places. For some, such a place is daunting at best and downright intimidating for others. For one Akiyama Satoshi, it is a place of comfort...of anonymity. To be normal for a little bit before going back to dealing all those chains of responsibility...)  
Akiyama (thinking, hunched down in his trench coat): It is all necessary. We had no choice before mankind was even walking upright.   
(A slight smirk appears on the older man's face.)  
Akiyama (thinking, looking around at the seemingly mindless masses): Look at them, not a care in the world. Never giving a thought to how their lives might very well end tomorrow.  
(A face suddenly seems familiar in the sea of strangers, but it is gone before Akiyama can think on it too closely, much less study it. The graying man pauses for a moment, causing a few people behind him to bump into him, a few making rude comments under their breath. It doesn't matter to the old man as he searches with cautious eyes. After a few moments, Akiyama shrugs and switches his briefcase to his other hand.)  
Akiyama (thinking): I'm working too hard. I would should take a vacation...to the hills or something...if only so many things were not coming to a head now!  
(Akiyama walks through the sliding set of doors into the chilled night air. His breath rises in a thin line of steam toward the overhanging roof above. He pauses again and reaches into his pocket and pulls out his pack of cigarettes. Inside, his last smoke is revealed and he pulls it out with the brief thought of buying another pack at the gas station nearby. He had work to do and the last thing he would want to do it go into it would a good supply. Meetings, secret contracts, so many things that had to be done to keep his small piece of the world together.)  
Akiyama (grumbling around his cigarette): Where the hell is that lighter?!  
Female voice (a lighter lighting up before his face, voice husky and somewhat...foreign): Here you go...  
Akiyama (puffing contentedly): Thanks much. You have no idea how much I didn't that.  
Female voice (hardening): I'm sure working day and night as SEELE member 5 rubs you to the bone...  
(The older man's eyes snap wide and the cigarette falls from his gapping lips. He slowly turns toward the speaker and his heart races as he catches sight of the blonde hair and proud, Russian features. His mouth opens and closes like a suffocating fish, trying to get some word, try to understand how this could be.)  
Natasha (her eyes glittering with a combination of grief and satisfaction as her handgun nudges one of SEELE's numbers under the chin): You always were a stupid, arrogant man, Akiyama-  
Akiyama (his voice breaking up in his terror): Natasha! No-  
(The gun is not silenced and the shot rings through the airport, sending those close to the sound into aimless, panicked flight. Natasha, her face splattered in the blood of the man who is now falling face down before her, watches security run towards her from within the airport. They would never be able to hold her. She had the devil on her side and he will never let her rot in a prison...at least, not until her job is finished.)  
(Casually, Natasha throws the gun always from her. Some young guy comes charging out in his newly pressed security uniform. The Russian Lieutenant, once double-agent for NERV and SEELE, offers the sweating, nervous officer an understanding smile and raises her hands over her head before he even asks. After all, they are both only doing their respective jobs...)  
-----------------------------------   
(The view screen is simple, but it is enough. For there is not much to see on the screen...not much to analyze. The Third Child...for reasons still to be determined has withdrawn into himself.)  
Ritsuko (quietly, her arms crossed over her chest): Has there been any change in Shinji's readings?  
Maya (softly): Negative...heart-rate, brain scan, breathing rate...all are normal.  
(There is a rustle of clothing and the woman sitting in the darkest corner of the small, observation room speaks for the first time in two days.)  
Misato (her voice rough): But he isn't normal.  
(Maya looks back at the Major with deep sympathy welling up in her eyes, but says nothing to that.)  
Ritsuko (sighing): Misato...you should return to your apartment... If nothing else, take Asuka home...her nerves are close to breaking...  
Misato (with sudden viciousness): Ask me if I care?!  
Ritsuko: ...?!  
Misato (wrapping her arms tight around herself, as if to ward off some secret cold): I'm going to lose her too...soon.   
(The grief is clear in her voice. Where Natasha Karpov had gone insane, Misato had dropped into a deep depression after the death of Hikaru Sohma. The fact that the Angel attack not only took the Sixth Child's life, but incinerated her body as well seemed to leave that closure a funeral would have given incomplete.)  
Ritsuko (turning to face the Major): Major Katsuragi...  
(Suddenly, with a violent crack, Ritsuko slaps Misato across the fact. Misato's head snaps to the side and her hand slowly touches the offended cheek in a sort of wonder.)  
Ritsuko (bracing herself on the arms of Misato's chair, bringing her face into Misato's): Now you listen to me...we are not going to lose anymore Children! ...unless you act like they are already dead. Think about what you are saying! Asuka! Shinji! They are not dead yet, Misato! You can not give up on them!  
Misato: ...  
Ritsuko: Misato-!  
(The sight of the tears forming silently in Misato's eyes brings the doctor up short. It is as if Misato is crying without her knowing it. The grief is too deep to be dismissed with a firm talking to. It is going to take time...perhaps time that they don't have...)  
Ritsuko (straightening herself slowly, whispering): Take your charge home. Share your grief with her...you are both in bad shape. You...of all people, know that misery loves company.  
(Misato says nothing to that, but she does get to her feet. Slowly, as if she is ancient rather than just starting her life, Major Katsuragi leaves the observation chamber.)  
Maya (shaking, her hand touching her lips): God...poor, Major Katsuragi...  
Ritsuko (coming to look at the screen again): She has to be strong...if not for herself, for the other Children...  
Maya (a little shocked): Doctor Akagi...that's a little cold-  
Ritsuko (taking a sharp breath, hoarsely): I know...when this is all over...I don't know how long it will take for the tears to stop coming...  
Maya (her mouth gaping): Sensei...I-I'm sorry...I didn't know-  
Ritsuko (shaking her head slightly, smiling despite herself): I know...I know, Maya. I can't do much now...but I can watch Shinji...act as his guardian angel.  
Maya (looking back to the screen): H-He will be okay...he was last time...  
Ritsuko (bracing her hands on the control console): But, I'm getting sick of putting this poor Child in padded, isolation chambers. Its too much for a soul of one so young.  
(On the screen before the two women, Shinji lays on a bed in the middle of a dark chamber. While nothing seems wrong at first glance, one soon would see that the Third Child is staring at nothing...and his eyes are very much green. As green as an Angel's eyes...)  
-------------------------------------  
(Asuka looks over at Misato slowly, as if she is too tired to put much effort into anything. A streetlight flashes by through the car's windshield, revealing the Second Child's red-rimmed eyes. While Misato had been off attending Shinji in some restricted section of Terminal Dogma, Asuka had sat in one of the many lounges within NERV Central. Some kindly private given charge of Asuka while Misato was elsewhere had given her some tea that she didn't drink. It had been as if her mind was shielded behind layers of emotional static.)  
Asuka (softly, thinking): They didn't even let me see him... He could be dead for all I know.  
(Asuka's eyes trace the numb mask of Misato's face.)  
Asuka (thinking): She just sits there, acting like there is nothing to it. It's like she doesn't even give a damn!  
(Asuka's hands curl into fists in her lap as the hated tears well in her eyes.)  
Asuka (thinking as she stares at her own fists): I couldn't do a thing... I couldn't do a Goddamn thing! What sort of EVA pilot am I?   
(The Second Child sniffs her runny nose angrily as Misato pulls into the parking lot next to their apartment building.)  
Misato (distantly): You should get to bed and try to rest.   
Asuka (very softly): Fuck you...  
Misato (turning her eye over at the girl): What was that?  
Asuka (screaming): Fuck you! You don't give a damn if he lives or dies! You're a monster! I hate you! I hate all of you!  
(Misato draws back, the girl's angry words slipping under the damp grief that has protected the Major until now. She reaches for Asuka, her mind instinctively trying to comfort her second charge. Asuka's eyes are wild as she grabs the door handle.)  
Asuka: Don't... Don't ever come near me again. Ever...  
(The Second Child pushes the door open and slams it hard enough to rock the car. With a hand to her mouth, Asuka runs up the stairs and out of sight.)  
(Misato's mouth opens and closes silently for several long moments. A train's horn echoes in the night and rumbles out of sight.)  
Misato: Asuka...Asuka...I'm so sorry...  
------------------------------  
(It is a room that has always known darkness. That is the way that the occupants like it, considering that much of what they do is invisible to the outside world. Shaping the world is hard work and the public could only make it harder. But could it be that the individual members of SEELE kept to the dark because there is so much in the light to fear.)  
(As it is, two of the panels are forever darkened now. The remaining men look at one another and, despite their ghostly, high-relief faces, they actually appear mortal to each other. For years, these men have believed their actions made the world turn and Mankind continue living the way they chose. But there are now two links gone from the chain. It is not the loss of life that disturbs these men so much, making their meeting quiet and fearful, but the fact that they are not Gods. Their control has been so easily disrupted and questioned. And now, they, who have always been the hunters, the dominant of their species, are the hunted; mere prey for a predator of their own making.)  
SEELE: What do we do? This lunatic woman picked 03 and 05 off in broad daylight!  
SEELE: We must remain calm. We will accomplish nothing by falling apart now. We did not come so far only to be taken down by some renegade Lieutenant.  
SEELE: Ikari must be at the end of this! Surely a mere grunt could not know us so well!  
SEELE: 03 was in the middle of an airport! She did not even get away! The local authorities caught her, but she never arrived at the precinct!   
SEELE: Remain calm. Despite this little problem-  
SEELE (scoffing): Little?!  
SEELE: -even Ikari cannot stop the Project now. The prophecy of the Dead Sea Scrolls will be fulfilled.  
SEELE: ...yes, and then there will be nothing to fear.  
SEELE: Stick to the Scenario. Without it...we are lost.  
-----------------------------  
(Asuka ran into her room, huffing. The apartment is still dark for she has not even bothered to turn on any of the lights. Misato would do it when she came up. The Second Child feels trapped despite her exhaustion.)  
Asuka (thinking, savagely): Everyone around here is a weirdo! They act like he's suddenly going to jump up and be fine. Like he's going to come out of this unscarred!  
(Asuka comes to her room and slams the door with a vicious tug, almost derailing the door.)  
Asuka (wiping at her eyes angrily): They are idiots, all of them-  
(That is when she saw the drawing. The portrait still sat on her pillow, where Hikaru had dropped it before they had left to fight for humanity once again. Only she had been trapped in a numb, cold EVA and Hikaru had thrown herself before Shinji, her body incinerated by the Angel's cruel blade. The hand that had drawn an unwilling Asuka Langley Soryu was now gone, never to return.)  
(Asuka could feel the tears again, but they were accompanied by such a feeling of rage that she screamed, ripping the blankets away from her bed. The world became a blur, her fists and feet kicking over cabinets and nightstands. Her voice is like that of an animal's. She screams and scratches at the world that wants to hurt her so much.)  
(Then the words come...)  
Asuka (wailing): Why?!  
(She throws a book across the room to crack the window in the wall.)  
Asuka (flinging a glass mug partially filled with water against the wall): WHY?!  
(The Second Child looks around at the disaster that had been born of her fury. Her chest heaves in sobs and her hands are bleeding from brushing across sharp edges. She looks down and finds the picture with her mysterious eyes and a face that looked too good to be an image of her ill. Somehow, the picture had remained where it had been dropped and she felt her knees quiver and she collapses in the middle of the mess, her hair falling around her, loosen now from her thrashing.)  
(She doesn't hear Misato come in, but she feels the gentle touch of the Major's hand on the back of her neck. Asuka gives a violent cry and throws herself into Misato's arms. The Major gathers Asuka to her and rests her head on top of the Second Child's.)  
Misato: Shhhh...don't fight it, Asuka...don't...  
Asuka (hoarsely): Why did she...have to die...Misato?  
Misato (closing her eyes): I...I don't have an answer for you...  
Asuka (rubbing her cheek against Misato): I never...s-showed her who the better EVA pilot was...I never...I never...  
(Misato feels that her cheeks have become wet.)  
Misato (whispering past her aching throat): I...know, baby. I know.  
-----------------------------------------  
(The guard, Private Hido Aishi, is walking down one of the corridors in the deeper areas of NERV Central. He had heard that the Third Child is housed in one of the containment chambers a floor above him. The guard wonders what the Supreme Commander could be worried of, the fact that someone could come this far inside without them knowing it or that the Child might escape. Either is a frightening thought.)  
(He had been one of the few that had actually seen the Third Child when Unit 01 had walked into the temporary dock and unloaded it pilot. His eyes had been wide open, yet he hadn't seem to see any of them. Someone had whispered that the Third Child's eyes had changed color, but Hido had never been close enough to Shinji Ikari to actually see the original color. But then, he had no reason to doubt a comrade's words.)  
(It had been terrifying, seeing the Evangelion without the benefit of armor plating. He could have sworn he heard it breathing. They had not been able to lock the EVA into its support cradle, nor had they been able to do a normal shutdown. Rather, they had left it in the temporary dock where it had stopped. He remembered how Major Katsuragi had pushed aside the dock personnel and looked into the cockpit. She had whispered the Third Child's name and stepped back, her hands covering her mouth. The Third Child had exited the Entry Plug on his own power, watching them all with these insane green eyes. The moment the boy had stepped out of the cockpit, the EVA seemed to groan and slump forward into a nearby support. The impact had shaken more than a few to the deck. Ritsuko Akagi's Lieutenant had chirped something about how the Evangelion had seemed to go dead, Core and all.)  
(That had been when Hido Aishi and many others had noticed Supreme Commander Gendo Ikari for the first time. He had quickly snapped out orders to a few nearby technicians to flash freeze the EVA and put it into temporary stasis. The area was quickly evacuated due to the super-chilled chemicals being unleashed on the war machine [though, at that point, Aishi hadn't been sure that the Evangelion Unit 01 could be considered a "war machine" anymore.] As he had followed his comrades out of the dock, he had seen Doctor Akagi calmly walk up to Shinji Ikari and inject something into his arm. He passed out and was carried from the room by someone from Intelligence. The last thing he saw, though, which had chilled the young Private to the bone, was the sight of Commander Ikari, standing on the high, observation platform, a secret smile stretching his lips...)   
(Footsteps.)  
(Private Hido pauses and looks up and wonders if the Supreme Commander or the Major has decided to come and visit their fallen pilot. The lights flicker and Aishi feels his hand fall to his sidearm without conscious thought. Something is coming. He can feel it in the electrified hairs on the back of his neck. He can feel it in the way that his heart is pounding.)  
(That is when the Child walks around the corner.)  
(White hair, loose T-shirt, haunted eyes. The boy's worn sneakers pad softly across the corridor tile and he doesn't even seem to notice the Private.)  
Private Hido (shuttering): Halt!  
Boy: ...  
Private Hido (drawing his handgun): This is a restricted area! If you do not stop, I will be forced to open fire!  
Boy (his eyes flicked at the soldier): Move, now.  
Private Hido (coughing): I-I will not-  
(The Child is about five meters from Aishi when he is hit by something invisible, but hard and powerful enough to break his nose. He flies back across the floor with a small arc of blood. He rolls twice before coming to rest on his back. The boy stares down at the soldier with wide, observant eyes. It would have been nothing to kill the man. But, even as the Child looks over the small splatter of blood draining down the man's cheek, he knows that he would never have been able to pull it off. To kill without need is not...in him.)  
--------------------------------   
(Shinji Ikari lays in the darkness.)   
Where am I?  
I am here.  
What is here?  
You are alone.   
Away.  
Here.  
Why am I here?  
Because they fear me.  
I am unknown.  
This is my body.  
Cold.  
I can't move.  
Am I not myself anymore?  
Fear.  
These are my eyes.  
Green.  
Dark is this feeling.  
Distant am I.  
Who is that...?  
Asuka?  
Rei?  
Hikaru?  
...Mother?  
I'm coming...  
(The bed he is laying on creaks as he sits up.)  
------------------------------  
Maya (bolting upright in her chair): Ma'am! The isolation chamber door has opened!  
Ritsuko (turning her eyes up to the screen): What did you say?! That's imposs-  
(The image of Shinji wavers and all the monitors on the control panel die.)  
Ritsuko: Get those screens back! Sound the silent alarm! Get people down here now!  
(Ritsuko turns away from the control panel as Maya begins to carry out her commands. When the door swishes open, Maya realizes that the Doctor is leaving.)  
Maya (looking over her shoulder, shock in her eyes): Sensei...?  
(Ritsuko pauses at the door and looks back at the Lieutenant. She appears so old at that moment. Her hair hangs limply about her face and it is then that   
Maya realizes that Doctor Akagi is wearing no make-up of any kind. In the hours since the retrieval of the Third Child, she had had no time to think about such things as vanity.)  
Maya (whispering hoarsely): Sensei...please...  
Ritsuko (her hands tightening on the open doorway): Carry out my commands, Lieutenant...and wait here until someone comes for you.  
Maya (rising out of her chair, crying out): Sensei-!  
(Ritsuko is out the door before the Lieutenant can finish.)  
------------------------------  
Boy (softly, looking up at the giant, metal beds above his head): Unfinished...  
(There is light coming from somewhere in the chamber, but he could not define the source.)  
Boy (shivering and wrapping his arms around himself): Horrible...horrible, place. Death...isolation...  
Voice (whispering from the shadows): You fear isolation, don't you, Child?  
(The Child's eyes snap wide and he spins around, trying to locate the speaker. His breaths are quick and frantic.)  
Gendo (his eyes hidden in the glare of his glasses as he emerges from the shadows): You should never have come here, Adam.  
Adam (drawing away from the Commander): ...no choice... You don't understand-  
Gendo (coming closer until he towered over the boy): You were taken from the place once. You should have stayed away. No matter your memories, no matter your conditioning, you should have remembered the fear!  
Adam (turning away to look at the uncompleted Units): ...   
(The partial Entities...perversions of the Angels...the wrongness is like a smell in the air. Like red that flows. The Child known as Adam feels himself cowering.)  
Gendo (walking slowly toward the end of the chamber): You cannot stop it. You will play your part...as will he...  
Adam (screaming with his head bowed): How can you do this to me, FATHER?!  
(The Supreme Commander stops with the suddenness of a deer spotting a hunter in the brush. It is almost as though he has become a statue, not breathing, not thinking.)  
Adam (gripping his white arms with his hands, trembling so hard that blood is trailing down from his mouth where he's biting his lips): You don't know...you don't know...  
Gendo (turning around in a flash of motion): What I know does not matter anymore. Soon...this will not even be a memory. Start from zero. Erase the Original Sin. That is your purpose, Adam!  
Adam (looking up with tears in his eyes): I am not a doll.  
Gendo (turning his head slightly so he didn't have to stare at the boy): ...that...is irrelevant.  
(The double door at the front of the chamber slide open to the sound of growling servo motors. When Adam sees the Third Child, he opens his mouth to speak to Shinji, but then he sees, hears, tastes the Beast behind the other Child's eyes.)  
Adam (whispering): Monster...  
(Shinji begins to walk forward, his eyes glassy, his motion dazed. Behind Gendo Ikari and Adam...the frosted containment chamber of the Infinity Project begins to shiver and open its doors...)  
----------------------------  
(There is no school now. There is no reason for there to be. Most everyone has left Tokyo-3 that don't need to be there. The halls are silent and some lockers are even hanging open. The place doesn't even feel like a school anymore. Hikari walks through the school slowly, her footsteps making soft tapping sounds that seem to echo forever.   
Hikari (pausing at an open door to look inside, whispering): There is no need for a class Rep...when there is no class.  
(She knew she should have left with everyone else, but something told her that it doesn't matter where she is; the result would be the same everywhere.)  
(Hikari looks down at the tiled floor and shivers at the sight of the red light coming in through the windows. The sky is a horrible thing to look at nowadays. Ever since that last Angel attack, soupy, red clouds have hovered over the shattered city.)  
Hikari (thinking): It's just a city...but for some reason...I feel like I want to cry...  
(Hikari finishes her rounds and makes her way to the roof of the school. It has always been a place for her to relax whenever school, home-life, or Suzuhara became too much to bear.)  
Kensuke (calling out from the edge of the fence): It's about time you got here!  
(Hikari looks up with a gasp and finds Kensuke and Touji leaning against the fence that rings the roof-top. They are both smiling at her and she sniffs and wipes the silly tears away.)  
Hidaka (next to the door): Hey, Hikari, are you crying? If my brother said something else to make you cry I'll-  
Hikari (laughing despite herself): No! I'm just being ridiculous.  
(Hikari looks fondly down at Touji's little sister and rubs the top of the girl's head.)  
Kensuke (sighing, folding his arms behind he head): Well, we knew you were always obsessed with this place, so when you weren't home, we decided to come on over and keep you company here.  
Hikari (sniffing again): You guys...  
Touji (walking up to her): Hey, now. No more tears. Class Reps don't cry...it sets a bad example.  
(He grins broadly and wipes away one of the tears that are determined to slip pass her lashes.)  
Hikari (looking up at him): Touji...  
Kensuke (calling from the fence): Careful, Touji! She's got that look in her eyes!  
Hikari (shooting a glare without any real heat at the local military otaku): Hey! Quiet over there!  
(Kensuke just laughs and leans his head back against the metal links to stare at the boiling sky.)  
Touji: Well, I had to come. After all, you would probably fade away if you didn't have someone to yell at and keep in line.  
Hikari (biting her lip): Touji...  
Hidaka (walks over to where Kensuke is standing, whispering loudly): Touji! Do something!  
Touji (whispering back as he takes Hikari in his arms): Shut up, squirt!  
(The little sister's eyes sparkle with laughter as she bounds over to annoy Kensuke.)  
Hikari (rubbing her face against Touji's neck): What are we going to do...? I can feel it... Something horrible is going to happen-  
Touji (hugging her tighter): Shhh...don't worry your pretty head about that one, Hikari...  
(He kisses her gently.)  
Touji (thickly): I'll...always protect you. I promise.  
(Hikari closes her eyes and rests against Touji. It is never possible to be strong all the time.)  
Hikari (thinking): ...just be safe and I will be happy.  
(And so, the four Children wait on the top of the school. They do not have to wait long...)  
-----------------------------   
(Within the Command Center, Fuyutsuki is sitting in Commander Ikari's chair. Looking over the vast chamber that it the heart of NERV Central, he can feel something. There is a stirring that prickles the back of his neck that comes whenever something bad is about to happen. It had happened that horrible day when he had lost one of his favorite students. It had happened when the Angels had started attacking again. It had happened just before pretty, young Hikaru Sohma had been taken from them.)  
Fuyutsuki (thinking): The Children are so young.   
(The Second-in-Command gazes over the pristine desk of the Commander's tower and at the young techs scurrying about below. They are all young. It seemed that after the Second Impact, only the young were optimistic and strong enough to attempt to carry on. You didn't see many people walking around with gray hair anymore. In a way, Fuyutsuki feels like a grandfather to them all. A calculating, old man with ideas for his young charges. But, unlike Ikari, Fuyutsuki can see the effects of the war on their faces. They might all be children compared to him, but they understand perfectly well what is at stake...)  
(FLASHBACK)  
(Fuyutsuki is standing in a dim corridor at an ungodly hour. Before him sits a vending machine and all he can do is glare with frustration at the stubborn thing. He can't believe it. They could combat Angels and create cities that could utterly change before your eyes in five minutes flat, yet they couldn't make vending machines that didn't eat your money!)  
Fuyutsuki (rumbling): Is it too much to ask for a machine that can give you what you ask for without stealing from you?  
(He sighs deeply and begins to reach into his pocket again when a slender hand slips the correct change into the slot. Fuyutsuki stares at the hand and slowly looks over to his right. Hikaru is standing here, patting back a yawn.)  
Hikaru (blinking tiredly at him): There's a bit of a trick with this machine. Which one did you want?  
(Fuyutsuki can only point. Hikaru reaches up sleepily and pushes the correct button. At the same moment, she kicks the left side of the vending machine. It clicks and shakes, then spits out the can of green tea. Hikaru picks it up and hands it to Fuyutsuki.)  
Hikaru (smiling brightly): There you go, sir.  
Fuyutsuki (his cheeks a little hot from needing the help in the first place): Um...thank you...Ms. Sohma. Here let me give you the change-  
(Hikaru laughs as she shrugs her purse strap up on her shoulder. It is then that he realizes that she is in civilian clothes. She must have had a long night of testing and the ex-professor feels all the more embarrassed for her assistance.)  
Hikaru (squeezing his arm warmly as she walks by him): Don't worry about it. Perhaps you will be able to do me a favor in the future, eh?   
(She peeks back over at the unsettled Fuyutsuki, grinning broadly.)  
Hikaru (chuckling): I like the idea of having owed favors in high places...  
(Present)  
(Fuyutsuki has never been one to get close to anyone under his command. It allows him to make those tough decisions when they are necessary. Someone had once told him that it was never good to come close to those that you may have to send to their deaths. The regulars in the Command Center such as Maya, Shigeru, and Hyuga knew him and would greet him on the street. But they would never meet him in a lounge or talk casually with him over a cup of coffee. Misato and Ritsuko are close to being his equals, but they are of another generation and he could never understand their determination never to relax during their downtime. Gendo Ikari...the man isn't even really human. Fuyutsuki isn't even sure if the man ever was. )  
  
(The Children...well, the only way he keeps his sanity is not knowing them... )  
Fuyutsuki (reaching into his pocket, thinking): It is easy to send someone you don't know to their death. If you don't know them, you don't mourn the loss of their personality and special, little flaws they have when they are gone...  
(Fuyutsuki slowly pulls out a several coins...just enough for a can of green tea.)  
Fuyutsuki (softly, staring down at his hand): I mean...look at me now. I am still holding on to a favor that will never be collected...  
(There is a rumble that shakes through the Command Center and alarms scream to life. Emergency icons fill the sensor displays like floating stop signs and the Command Center crew throw themselves into action as they have so many times before. Distantly, Fuyutsuki marvels at their efficiency...their deep-rooted desire to live.)  
Fuyutsuki (watching with sad, ancient eyes, thinking): Gendo...I see it now. They never really did need us...  
Fuyutsuki (shouting as he stands up): Status report!   
Shigeru (calling over his shoulder): It looks like some sort of singularity has formed over the central region of Tokyo-3!   
Fuyutsuki (closing his eyes for a heartbeat): Here we go again. Yui...Hikaru Sohma...watch over us now...  
Fuyutsuki (crisply): Lieutenant Hyuga, send out the calls to Pilots Ayanami, Soryu, Suzuhara and Major Katsuragi!   
Hyuga (pulling a headset on, already dialing): Yes, sir!  
Fuyutsuki (sitting down once again): Turn those damned alarms off.  
(The silence that came is only broken by the sound of racing fingers on keyboards. Holographic threat boards flash up before the Command Towers, dancing, colorful rectangles that show a scenario that Gendo has whispered about for years now. Seeing it now, in full color, in real-life, sent a shiver through Fuyutsuki. He slowly draws an aged hand over his narrow face. It is not easy to stare Oblivion head-on without blinking.)  
(On the holographic boards as well as the external, video links, the red skies over Tokyo-3 began to spin like the clouds between opposing warm and cold fronts. At the center of the rotating mass, where the eye of a tornado would have been, lays infinity. As he watches it, it picks at the corners of the city. It is going to absorb everything in one final attack...Lillith and the city together.)   
Fuyutsuki (whispering): Damn...  
(Within the eye of the Abyss there is landscape of raw possibilities... A world of the void... A second chance... A Specter of their deaths...)  
-----------------------------  
Adam (falling back on his rump): No... What have you done?!  
Gendo (his back to the monstrosity in the Infinity Project chamber): What I had to... This is necessary.  
(Mist from the opened chamber flows out across the dark, tiled floor, dusting everything it touches with a light layer of frost.)  
(Shinji stands before the white, hanging mass within the chamber. It towers over him with impossibly long, organic wings and tangling supports. It looks like a giant backpack with a hood. Across the front of the hood is etched a symbol that is somehow familiar. It is a downward pointed triangle with seven eyes lining its edges.)  
Gendo (folding his hands behind his back): This...is Lillith. This is the beginning.   
Adam (looking around at the mist that clings to the shadows franticly): If you fly in the face of God...you will destroy yourselves! God is...God is...  
(The Child arms his arms around his knees and rocks himself on the chilled floor. Gendo watches the boy with a solemn face.)  
Gendo (very softly): You were the failed project...Adam. Do you know why?  
Adam: ...  
Gendo (turning his face to the shadows): Man is arrogant. Man seeks to control that which is not his. He tries to be like God and in doing so become a God himself.  
Adam: ...  
Gendo (looking slowly at the final form of Lillith, the Entity is breathing on its own now and it is watching with deep, horrible fascination): God created the Angels because Man is curious, Man is jealous. Man is in God's own image. If Man is curious and jealous, what does that say of Him?  
(The wings of Lillith flex gently, testing its strength. The seven eyes turn from Gendo to Shinji. The eyes are hungry.)  
Gendo (looking down at Adam, slowly as if he didn't want to be misunderstood): The Angels were created because Man was a mistake. Start from the beginning. Start over again. That is the purpose of the Angels.  
(Adam covers his ears, whimpering.)  
Gendo (whispering, knowing that Adam could still hear him): Man...in It's simple understanding, believed that an Entity...a creature that was both Man, that which God wishes to remake, and Angel, that which God created out of protection, would have a chance of making peace with Him.  
Adam (hoarsely): He...won't listen...  
Gendo: Yes.  
Adam (looking up slowly): Then...why am I still here?  
Gendo (almost sadly): Because, we need a bridge to Him. You are accepted as one of Them and therefore, can let us come to Him.  
Shinji (slowly): ...Lill...ith...?  
(The Third Child is unsteady on his feet, touching his forehead as if he has just come out of a deep sleep.)  
Gendo (turning his head toward Shinji): She was rejected by both Man and God.   
(The Supreme Commander glances at Lillith.)  
Gendo (smirking): His first mistake...  
(The breathing is full, deep, and shakes the floor of the Construction Chamber. She is aware now.)  
Shinji (taking a step back from Her): She...wishes to devour me...Father...  
Gendo (sighing deeply): No...she will devour the Other within you, Shinji.  
Shinji (whispering): Other...?  
(The floor shutters and Gendo looks toward Adam...the "failed project.")  
Gendo (walking toward Adam): We need a link to Him.  
Adam (slowly standing before Gendo): I-I-  
Gendo (rising up over the white-haired Child, thinking): He...looks so much like Rei...so much like Shinji...  
Adam (whispering): I don't wish to die...  
(Gendo Ikari stands before the Child. The product of twisting the DNA of Lillith and Man...the best result of the Human Instrumentality Project.)  
Gendo (whispering as he strokes back the hair from the boy's face): I'm sorry...  
(The gunshot is shocking and Shinji draws away from his father and the Child.)  
Adam (choking on his blood, grabbing the front of Gendo's uniform): I...  
(Gendo closes his eyes and leans his head close to the Child's lips. The gun is hot in his hand as if he had picked it up out of a fire.)  
Adam (looking up at Gendo's face, his red eyes fading): I...could have stopped you...Father...  
(Gendo bows his head and Adam falls to the floor before him. The Child's body is silent for a moment, then what look like lights appear across the boy's skin. Gendo slowly steps away from the body.)  
Shinji: What have you done?!  
Gendo (slowly straightening his back): What was necessary. You will not waste this sacrifice, Pilot Ikari.  
(Shinji bites his lip and watches the body that was once a boy become something else. Before the Alter of Lillith, light struck out in what looks like lightning and plows through the armored ceiling. The two Ikaris step closer to Lillith to keep from behind crushed by the falling debris.)  
Shinji (softly): Father...was he...  
Gendo: You know who he was...Shinji.  
(The power surging from the remains grows in strength and becomes a constant beam. Gendo Ikari briefly wonders, with distant amusement, what the professor is thinking of this new phenomenon erupting from the far corner of Terminal Dogma.)  
-----------------------------------  
Fuyutsuki (wide-eyed as he watches the beam of light coming up from the corner of Tokyo-3): What the hell is that?! An new Angel attack?!  
Hyuga (shouting): Negative, sir! The power reading is coming from Terminal Dogma!  
Fuyutsuki (thinking): My God...Ikari, what have you done?!  
Fuyutsuki: Are we damaged badly?  
Shigeru (puzzled): Strangely enough, sir, we are not. While we do now have a hole in all our layers in Sector 27, we have not lost any power to any necessary systems.   
Fuyutsuki (softly): God...what could be causing something like that...?  
Tech (calling out from Maya's station): Sir, the energy beam has hit the anomaly over Tokyo-3. Sir! I'm getting a reaction from the target!  
Fuyutsuki (looking up at the external video feed from the surface): What is...happening?  
(The hole in the sky is pulsing now, sending silent waves of energy through the air. The hole within the Entity was now changing from darkness into a warm, ever-changing shade of pink and red.)  
Shigeru (gapping at his console): Sir...multiple contacts zeroing in on Tokyo-3.  
Fuyutsuki (squinting at one of the images of the distant bogies): What...? ...!  
Hyuga (looking over his shoulder at Fuyutsuki): Sir...?  
Fuyutsuki (quietly): Those heartless bastards... it's the fleet of mass-production EVAs...   
(There is something in the way the white EVAs are flying, something about they way that they had those eerie, seemingly smiling mouths told the Sub-Commander everything in a single second and he bows his head.)  
Fuyutsuki (whispering): They are...rogue.   
------------------------------------------  
(The armor of EVA Unit 02 seems to shine under the dim lights of the containment chamber. Asuka stands on the catwalk before it, her plug-suit snug against her body. Misato has left her to report to the Command Center.)  
Asuka (quietly): I'm so...tired.  
(The EVA seems to watch her with its emerald eyes. She can hear the sound of Tokyo-3's defenses going into effect. Worthless rounds of human-made artillery that will, at most, distract the Angels. But Asuka knows her enemy. It-they-whatever will not be so much as fazed by the impotent display of human power.)  
Asuka (bracing her hands against the guardrail): I-I don't want to pilot anymore... I'm...no better than...than...God!  
(The girl pounds the rail with her fists.)  
Asuka (shouting): Dumphof! Idiot!   
(She grips the bar tightly and her slender frame shutters.)  
Asuka: ...bastard... you made me weak...  
Rei (her voice whispering from the other side of the catwalk): This isn't...like you, Asuka.  
(Asuka lifts her eyes from the rail to look at the other girl. Rei looks as she did the first day Asuka met her. Utterly calm, utterly composed. Asuka feels she should be ashamed to show her weakness before Wonder Girl, but with her grief has come something else... Maturity.)  
Asuka (growling): Damned straight it isn't like me. How can you be so laid back?! You probably know better than I do what we are going up again... And...AND we don't have the invincible Shinji Ikari at our side now!  
Rei (looking up at Unit 02): You are wrong. He is with us. He will fight. ...you must have...faith.  
Asuka (her eyes wide, whispering): Wonder Girl...?  
Rei (flashing the smallest ghost of a smile at the Second Child): You are not alone. You will not die.  
(With that, the First Child walks up the catwalk toward Unit 00.)  
Voice (calling loudly across the containment chamber): Man, you are the last person I want to see, right now! I had my spot all picked out and they have to drag me back here to be faced with your ugly mug!  
(Asuka feels her eyes go even wider to find Touji Suzuhara walking down the catwalk in his black and blue plug-suit. He doesn't seem too happy to be there.)  
Asuka (her hackles rising): Suzuhara! Y-You are not-  
Touji (growling down into her face as he comes before her): I don't have a choice, little girl! See that EVA over there?  
(Asuka lifts herself up on her tip-toes to look over Touji's shoulder. In the far end of the chamber, which had always held Unit 01, now sat Unit 03.)  
Asuka (thinking): Where is Unit 01?!  
Touji (looking back fearfully at the Evangelion): I...I don't want to be here, Asuka...  
(Asuka glances up at Touji's face and realizes that he's a little pale and he's trembling very slightly. She isn't the only one who has bad memories attached to that monster.)  
Asuka (sighing deeply): Can you control that thing, Suzuhara?  
Touji (stiffly, his male pride coming back to the surface): Well enough! I did save your butt a while back, if you would remember!  
Asuka (sharply): How they thought you were EVA material is beyond me-  
Misato (over the chamber intercom): Excuse me, Children...but if you would be so kind as to get yourselves into your EVAs, we would be so grateful up here!  
(Asuka blinks and looks up at the intercom speaker. She could have sworn that it is the old Misato speaking to them now...not the defeated, haunted woman that had brought her here.)  
Asuka (thinking): Nothing like the heat of battle to make you forget your pain...  
Asuka (sighing...VERY deeply): Okay, come on, moron. You do know how to get into an entry plug, right?  
Touji (grumbling as he walked away): Yeah, yeah...  
Asuka (thinking as she climbs into her entry plug): Poor Hikari...I know you love that idiot...  
(She looks to the far side of the chamber to where Touji is staring at Unit 03's open entry plug, scratching the back of his head. Asuka gives a little shutter.)  
Asuka (grimly): I'll see what I can do about getting him back in one piece.  
(The entry plug closes and rotates into the EVA. The screens around her flicker and she can see the chamber once more. She looks at Unit 00 out of the corner of her eye and she whispers a German prayer. If Shinji is coming...then she has to live through this battle...someone has to be there at the end to yell at him for worrying everyone. Most of all, her.  
(Asuka tosses her head and glares out at the world. Then, she speaks the words she said so long ago.)  
Asuka: ...let's go, Asuka...  
(A few seconds later, the three Evangelions skyrocket along tracks to meet SEELE's fleet.)  
----------------------------------  
(Evangelion Unit 01 is silent in a way that is utterly unnatural, at least, as far as Shinji Ikari's experience with them has been. Those terrible, green eyes stare blankly into space and Shinji moves a little closer to creature known as Lillith. His father had done something and suddenly, as easily as the EVA was transferred to the surface, it slid down on sparking tracks to a place against the wall next to Lillith.)  
Shinji: What is going on, Father...? Why is that here?  
(The Supreme Commander is watching the light that was once the Child known as Adam. His hands are folded behind his back and it is then that Shinji realizes that his father's hands are bare. He can see the burns that he had gotten when he had pulled Rei II from her shattered entry plug.)  
Gendo (firmly): It is but a vessel, Shinji. You need to fight.  
Shinji (shivering): Why?! I-I'm afraid-  
Gendo (sharply): Enough!   
(He looks over his shoulder at his son.)  
Gendo (softly): You cannot understand what I have done for this moment, Pilot Ikari. Do you have any idea what I have become for this to occur?  
(Shinji draws away from Gendo, the image of his father's receding back from all those years ago flashes through his mind.)  
Shinji (faintly): Why?  
Gendo (looking back at his son): Because no one else could. Because I knew what needed to be done. Because I knew in the end that you would be the one to complete the circle.  
Shinji (wrapping his arms around himself): F-Father...  
Gendo (walking to Shinji): You will not be alone...I have made certain of that...  
The Children...  
Gendo (bracing his hands on Shinji's quivering shoulders): Next time we meet...I hope you forgive me...son.  
(Shinji rubs his tearing eyes with the back of his hand and looks with eyes that are still green over at the monster waiting for him. He turns toward the naked EVA, his hands balled into fists.)  
Shinji (softly): How will I find my way back...?  
Gendo (shaking his head): ...  
Shinji (facing the EVA once more): ...I see...  
(The Other is alive in him once more, pulsing between his eyes, filling his thoughts with knowledge so horrible, so wonderful, that tears come to his alien eyes.)  
Shinji (walking toward the EVA, glancing down at his hospital gown): What about my plug-suit?  
Gendo (looking up to the light once more): You will not need it...where you are going.  
Shinji (nodding, as if it was as he had suspected): ...  
(As the Third Child comes close to the Evangelion, the bandaged creation kneels down on its own and lowers a hand for the pilot to stand upon. The EVA is breathing deeply as Lillith, its torso expanding and contracting with each huff. The exposed core at its center is glowing once more, pulsing with heat that Shinji feels on his face. The heat is so familiar...so comforting. Shinji's eyes snap wide.)  
Shinji (gasping): Mother...?  
(The hand begins to rise toward the Core and Shinji is reaching toward it like a baby reaching for its mother's breast. At that moment, the doors shift open on the far side of the chamber once more.)  
Ritsuko (staggering through the doors, out of breath): Shinji! No!  
(The hand is at the Core when Shinji turns to face the horrified doctor. His back is at the pulsing orb and it is shedding enough light to equal the beam which is pouring through the ceiling.)  
Shinji (his lips lifted into a kind smile): Don't worry...I'm not running away anymore, Doctor Akagi...  
(And he steps back through the surface of the Core. The creature that is Evangelion Unit 01 jerks to life and lifts its head back to roar.)  
---------------------------------------  
(The EVAs on the surface are spaced throughout the ruined city. Touji zeroes his EVA's focus on the sight of Unit 00 pulling the NERV Positron cannon from the weapon's rack at its side. The EVA handles it easily as if it is a seasoned soldier. Perhaps Rei is. The girl has always been an enigma to him. She has become more approachable since Ikari has come around, but she still seems uncertain about what to do with simple human contact.)  
Asuka (her face popping up on a screen next to Suzuhara's head): Ogling Rei, you pig?  
Touji (jumping in his seat, stammering): W-What?! No!  
Asuka (snorting as she turned away, snapping): Meit Gott, jerk! What Hikari sees in you is beyond me!  
(Her screen vanishes before he can make any sort of reply to that shot over the bow.)  
Touji (his eye glancing skyward, thinking): Why me? Why do I have to deal with her?  
Misato (her face flickering up on a floating screen): Are all in position? Damn it, Touji! You are zoned in Sector 5! What are you doing still standing by the exit hatch?!  
Touji (wincing, thinking): How do I tell her that just walking is hard for me! Much less understanding these stupid maps that are flashing all over the place!  
Touji (sighing): I-I'm sorry, Misato...  
(Misato stares at Touji for a long moment before, sighing.)  
Misato (quietly): Asuka... I know we are pressed for time, but...  
Asuka (Unit 02 turning toward Unit 03 from the top of a ruined office building): Okay, okay, I got it.  
(Asuka's face appears up next to Misato. The major turns her attention to fine-tuning Rei's position. The rogue EVAs are almost at Tokyo-3's borders.)  
Asuka (grumbling): You are so lucky these bastards aren't much on stealth, Suzuhara!   
Touji (sighing): I know...  
(Asuka gazes out at Touji, frowning. His unbearable masculine arrogance is missing and it is a little unsettling to see Touji actually listening to what she is saying. It isn't easy explaining the basic functions of the EVA cockpit in such a short amount of time. Supposedly, the last time Touji was actually piloting Unit 03, he had both the real-time support of Doctor Akagi and the dubious assistance of the dummy-system. Asuka had seen the pictures of that battle later. It hadn't been pretty.)  
Touji (looking around, still confused, but understanding how to get from point A to point B): Uh...Asuka? How do you walk?  
Asuka (her eyes widening): What?  
Touji (waving his hands in front of him to keep the onslaught in the Second Child's eyes from being unleashed on him): No, no! I understand the basic steps, but...you make it...grrr...look so easy...  
(Asuka gives a laugh at that. Suzuhara is blushing and she snuggles a little into her pilot seat.)  
Asuka (grinning wolfishly): ...hmmm...wellll, let me see...  
Rei (her face appearing under Misato's and Asuka's, quietly): You don't think about it, Pilot Suzuhara. The EVA is bonded with you. It is as much your body as your hand. Just believe that your foot will move and the EVA will move.  
Touji (blinking at the simple explanation): T-Thank you, Rei-  
Asuka (growling): Yes, thank you, Wonder Girl!  
(Rei nods to them and her image vanishes from their screens. Touji glances around at the plug and the butterfly handles about him.)  
Touji (thinking): Just...walk. Just...walk...  
(Then, the thought comes to him that this isn't unlike his time in the hospital. Hikari had been there, her kind eyes watching him, her sweet, gentle eyes measuring his every step, insuring that he would not fall. He didn't, not while she was there.)  
(FLASHBACK: Hikari (whispering): If you fall...I will catch you...)  
(Unit 03 lifts it foot slowly, its head bowed to watch its own progress. Touji can feel his cheeks burning because he knows how ridiculous the EVA looks and he knows that the Second Child is watching every shaky step. But he can feel the EVA begin to move.)  
Asuka (sarcastically): Lord, it's walking!  
(It doesn't look pretty and it isn't by any means the graceful, casual stride of Asuka's Unit 02 or the efficient walk of Rei's Unit 00, but Unit 03 is moving without help through the scattered remains of Tokyo-3. Its dark head is hunched down and it scans the shells of buildings around it. The city had once been glorious to look upon. The Angels had turned into a graveyard. Touji plans on maintaining the pride of Tokyo-3 to the very end. He has loved ones here. This is the last line of defense. And now, NERV is one Evangelion stronger.)  
--------------------------------  
Ritsuko (sobbing): Y-You monster! You fed your son to that Beast!  
(The EVA is slowly standing upright on its own. Ritsuko doesn't care. She is pounding on Gendo's chest, tears sparkling in the beam-light like crystals on her cheeks. Gendo doesn't fight back, his face seemingly lined in a way that the doctor has never noticed before. It as if all his sins have caught up with him at once and aged him.)  
Gendo (softly): Ritsuko-  
Ritsuko (screaming): Shut up! You never gave a damn to begin with! You know what is going to happen when that-that THING joins with Lillith!  
(Gendo closes his eyes and catches Ritsuko's hands in his own. The woman struggles in his grasp desperately before falling against him.)  
Ritsuko (her voice breaking): Y-You...never loved any of us...  
(Gendo resting his head against Ritsuko's, his lover's, his companion, his greatest tool's.)  
Gendo: ...more than...you may ever know...  
(The Supreme Commander of NERV and Doctor Akagi could only keep a silent vigil as the Evangelion turns to Lillith and walks toward it, curiosity lighting its burning green eyes. The bandages are falling away from its hideous features.)  
Ritsuko (whispering against Gendo's cheek): What have we done...?  
Gendo (softly): What is necessary.  
(The creation known as Evangelion Unit 01 comes within range of Lillith and the organic backpack flexes toward it like a famished octopus, wrapping hundreds of tendrils of white flesh about it. The EVA roars and tries to use its strength against the Angel as it has so many times in the past. Every time, it has worked, but this time, the Angel is too strong, too old, too wise to be conquered by brute force. The EVA screams as tendrils of Lillith sink into its flesh, changing and merging with the Infinity Project. Ritsuko turns her face away as Unit 01's cries take on a human quality. This is what is sounds like when a soul is torn apart.)  
Ritsuko (thickly): She...never deserved this...  
Gendo: ...  
(The sound dies away and a new form grows before the two humans. The insane, green eyes are still visible through sinkholes in the fleshy hood, but the rest of the EVA has been remade in Lillith's image. Long, claw-like hands and slender, yet powerful legs. The wings flaring out from its back are tightly hugged to the creation's body, since the chamber is hardly large enough for such limbs. While they are a bit like the wings of the rogue EVAs', they are far more complex and much more elegant. They remind Ritsuko a little of millions of doves' wings.)  
(The white-fleshed Evangelion/Angel hybrid steps away from the open isolation chamber.)  
IKARI...  
(Gendo narrows his eyes and tightens his grip around Ritsuko. Has he been all wrong? Was it all a mistake?)  
Freedom...  
Gendo: Then, go.  
(The EVA turns its eyes to the beam of light still pouring through the hole in the ceiling.)  
Stairway...  
HOME...  
(The modified Evangelion steps into the light with thundering footfalls and it shimmers within the beam. Then, it looks down at the pitiful human before it. Years of imprisonment flood back into its joined psyche. It would be so easy to crush the flesh and bones creature before it. But...its mind lashes out a single thought instead.)  
Promise Kept...  
(And it begins to lift away from the floor as if it is lighter than air. Gendo is on his cell phone seconds later, informing Sub-Commander Kouzou and Major Katsuragi of their new arrival.)  
-------------------------------   
(Misato glares at the "Audio-Only" icon floating before her with impotent fury.)  
Gendo: The Entity coming out of Terminal Dogma is not to be attacked, Major. Remind your pilots of that.  
Misato (through grit teeth): I'm sure they wouldn't think of it, sir. Considering who is piloting that...thing.  
Gendo (continuing on as if he didn't hear the poison in the Major's voice): The hybrid, while in most cases is one of the most powerful forces in our arsenal, is utterly helpless while in the thrall of the Rapture. Major Katsuragi, have one of your pilots posted near the Stairway to defend...Unit 01's flank.  
(Misato glances up at Fuyutsuki. The old man sighs deeply and looks away.)  
Misato (turning back to the icon): ...with all due respect, Commander, but to do so would almost certainly sentence the other two pilots to death! There are eight Rogue EVAs crossing into our city-limits even as we speak! We cannot-  
Gendo (coldly): Those losses are expected, Major. The only important objective at this point is that Unit 01 reaches the Abyss!  
(The violence in the Supreme Commander's voice causes Misato to jerk away from the icon. She gazes long and hard at the various views of her three Evangelions on the field.)  
Misato (thinking): ...a rock and a hard place... This is no choice...   
Misato (choking): Understood, sir.  
Gendo: I expect results, Major. All you and your crew have to do is protect Unit 01 until it reaches the Abyss. What happens after that does not matter.  
Misato (closing her eyes tightly): Sir.  
(The Supreme Commander signs off without another word.)  
Fuyutsuki (thinking, savagely): You bastard, Ikari! You could have told her!  
Misato (calling out): Touji?  
(The Fourth Child's face appears on a large screen before the Major. Misato folds her hands behind her back to hide her trembling.)  
Misato (firmly): Touji, I want you to take position by the beam of energy coming out of Section 27. You will be defending the back end of NERV's offensive against the anomaly.  
Asuka (coming online, shout): What?! Why are you sending this clumsy idiot for that job-  
Misato (snapping): Asuka, don't question orders! Just do it!  
(Asuka blinks at the look on Misato's face. She draws back and looks off screen...toward Unit 03. Her lips move, but no sound comes. This is supreme helplessness.)  
Asuka (whispering): ...no...hope...  
Misato (shaking her head violently): No...you are not going to this naked.  
(The Major is breathing a little quickly as she turns to Shigeru.)  
Misato (confidently): Lieutenant Aoba, please call up the Lance of Longinsis.  
Shigeru (gapping at her): Ma'am...I'm not authorized-  
Fuyutsuki (sharply): You are not cleared for ordering that, Major!  
Misato (turning on the sub-commander): I'm not?  
(Fuyutsuki's jaw tightens at the sight of the pain in Misato's eyes. He stands slowly and wonders what it feels like to be gunned down before a firing squad...)  
Fuyutsuki (quietly): Lieutenant Aoba, enter the release sequence for the Lance.   
(His eyes glitter for a brief instant as he sees the shock spread over the Lieutenant's face.)  
Fuyutsuki (sighing): I take responsibility and I know that you know the codes, Lieutenant. Don't insult either of our intelligence.  
  
(Fuyutsuki sees how Hyuga and Shigeru glance at each other. Had they thought that he hadn't been aware of their amateur hacking attempts into the MAGI? There are only two people, two ladies to be exact, who could have done so without raising his notice and both were in Terminal Dogma at the moment.)  
Shigeru (slowly): Um...yes, sir.   
(The long-haired Lieutenant calls up the MAGI system to release the Lance from its containment chamber. His eyes snap wide as he looks back at the Sub-Commander and Misato.)  
Shigeru (screaming): Someone has launched an Eater Virus into the MAGI!  
Fuyutsuki (leaning forward, his heart pounding): What did you say?! Who-?!  
Maya (whispering from the suddenly opened Command Center door): You know...who...  
Misato (looks over her shoulder at the young Lieutenant): Maya, thank God you are here-  
(That is when Misato sees the blood covering the front of Lieutenant Ibuki's uniform. Her hand is pressed hard against the bullet wound and she is panting against the pain. Misato runs to the young woman catching her as her arm gave out.)  
Misato (shouting): Someone get a first-aide kit! Oh God, Maya!  
(Maya's face is misted with perspiration and she breaths hard against the icy chill of the wound.)  
Maya (softly): Don't ask me how, but I managed to beat them here... Doctor Akagi...I'm so sorry for...not listening...  
(That is when the power goes out in the Command Center.)  
Misato (grimly): Well, aren't they arrogant to attack us on our home turf?  
----------------------------------  
(Unit 00 and Unit 02 have taken up position on opposite sides of the rubble city while Unit 03 has dug-in over by the beam of light. Asuka scans the surrounding mountains that are still as green as her memories. The sky used to be a deep blue that some of the stupid boys in school would have said matched her eye-color exactly. She can care less what those morons said. They are perverts and cowards, all of them. Of course, now the sky is blood red, making such hallow words ridiculous now. They had all run except for the people she has grown to depend on. According to Touji, Hikari, Kensuke, and his little sister Hidaka have taken to the shelter near the school. He said that Hikari told him before NERV Intelligence had taken him away that Tokyo-3 was as safe as any other place in the world.)  
Asuka (thinking, her EVA adjusting the auto-rifle in its metal-shod fists): This is the edge of the world. There is nowhere else to run now. How did that girl get to be so smart?  
Rei (her face appearing on the screen next to Asuka's face): Asuka...there are intruders in NERV Central.  
Asuka (quietly): I know.  
(Unit 02 kneels on top of a apartment building. The people are all gone now and all the windows are blown out...but it gives Asuka one hell of a view of the surrounding area.)  
Rei: I am going to go for the Lance of Longinsis.  
Asuka (thinking): That weapon that stopped the Angel when it was trying to destroy my mind...  
Asuka (narrowing her eyes): So you are going to just leave me to die up here, Rei? Fine! Go! I can taken them all on myself-  
Rei (gently): I will be back in two minutes and thirty-six seconds. Command has managed to disengage the lock, but they are unable to launch the Lance through the normal weapons tubes.  
Asuka: ...  
Rei: I will not let you die, Asuka.  
Asuka (bowing her head): ...  
Rei (her eyes seemingly glowing): You are too important to him...too important to me.  
Asuka: ...go.  
Rei: Asuka...  
Asuka (smiling a little grimly): The clock has started...  
(Rei nods and signs off. Asuka can see Unit 00 turn away from its post and runs towards the access hatch in its Section. The Second Child lays back in her seat and can feel the icy fingers of fear rippling through her stomach and heart. She can see the flying EVAs without magnification now on the horizon. They are each carrying what appears like modified versions of the Lance. Asuka wonders if they had ever had a chance in the first place.)  
Asuka (growling): Come and get it, boys!   
-----------------------------------  
(The emergency lights cast the Command Center in an eerie amber, making everything seem like it is under tinted glass. Maya flinches as Misato pulls the bandage tight around the young woman's bared waist.)  
Misato (speaking around a wad of extra bandaging cloth, both hands securing the bandage): It wooks like de bullwet passed stwaight wough..yer wucky, Maya.  
Maya (trembling, watching Misato through half-closed eyes): Ha.  
Hyuga (kneeling next to Maya): Are you in too much pain, Maya? I can give you some pain-killer-  
Maya (hugging her left arm across her bandaged midsection): No...I need my wits about me. Major...?  
Misato (helping the younger woman to her feet): Yes?   
Maya (looking up at the Major): The UN troops. They were everywhere...I don't know how they got so many inside without...setting off any alarms.  
Shigeru (darkly from his place at the command console): They probably hit the MAGI at the same as they launched the attack. Such a smooth operation can only mean that they have the other MAGI computers involved from the other countries.  
Hyuga (hyperventilating): W-What are we going to do?! W-We're technicians...we're scientists! I can read Latin! I can speech French! I-  
Fuyutsuki (firmly): Lientanent Hyuga, you have basic training. You know how to fire a weapon.  
Hyuga (shivering): I was never thinking I-I would have to use it! I-  
Fuyutsuki (gently): Makoto...  
(The Command Crew look up at Fuyutsuki in shock. He doesn't sound like a Sub-Commander anymore. He sounds...like a teacher...a professor. He is strong enough to bend...wise enough to guide without an iron fist.)  
Fuyutsuki: Take members from Tower 3 crew to the weapons locker and get us armed. Maya?  
Maya (struggling to look up at the Sub-Commander): Sir...?  
Fuyutsuki (gazing down at her with sad eyes): Are you strong enough to work on the MAGI problem?  
Maya (cracking a weak smile as she leans against Misato): I'm not dead yet. Besides...I was trained by the best.  
Fuyutsuki (smiling): Good girl... Okay, let's get going! Misato, come up here. We don't know how much time we have left!  
(Misato doesn't know what has happened to Fuyutsuki Kouzou, but she decides not to question the gentle voice. As she heads toward the staircase leading to the main Command tower, she trips the emergency lock on the doors leading into the Command Center. It wouldn't be much against a determined UN strike force, but it would buy them time.)  
Misato (coming to the top, quietly): Sir?  
Fuyutsuki (sitting down in the Commander's chair, tiredly): Major...those Children are isolated without us. We have won in the past because of luck and fate. I think we need eyes top-side.  
Misato (shaking her head): That is all fine and good, sir, but without main power we-  
Fuyutsuki (leaning his head back against the chair, smiling humorlessly): You kids...you relay too much on technology. Major, we don't need main power. What good is emergency gear if we don't use it during an emergency?  
Misato (her eyes widening with understanding): Oh...you mean the handheld audio-video-units? But those won't reach the surface-  
Fuyutsuki: Line-of-sight, Major. Well, not quite, but close. Outfit the lesser Techs with the handhelds and send them top-side through the maintenance ducts.   
Misato (sighing): There won't be much we can do, even if we can do as much.  
Fuyutsuki (looking up at the Major): At least the Children will know...that they are not alone.  
(Misato doesn't say another word otherwise and goes about giving the order.)  
-------------------------------------   
(Ritsuko sits with her legs hanging over the edge of the LCL pool. Never mind that LCL is one of the hardest things to get out of nylon, it isn't like it really matters anymore.)  
Ritsuko (speaking softly into the chamber beyond Heaven's Gate): How can you be so sure about this, sir?   
(Gendo Ikari stands at the edge of the pool, staring out at the place against the wall where the Angel known as Lillith had once been posted with the Lance of Longinsis sticking out of its chest. That had been before he had struck a deal with the Entity...before She had transformed herself for one moment.)  
Gendo (thoughtfully): Sometimes, you have to put all your faith in a single possibility.  
Ritsuko (blinking at him): A...gamble.  
Gendo (crossing his arms across his chest): Yes. That and a willingness to give up everything for a slender chance of paradise.  
(He looks over at the woman next to him, kicking her legs slowly in the LCL like some little girl. There is a little insanity in her eyes, but she is aware. She knows who he is, where they are, and what is happening. That is enough.)  
Gendo (smirking): I wonder if the Abyss will destroy me because of my sins. Will anyone...think of me?  
Ritsuko (looking over her shoulder at the giant, metal doors behind them): I wonder how long it will take them to find us? Will they shoot us on the spot or take us prisoner to stand before a court in some glorified trial?   
(She leans her head back and laughs up at the shadows hovering around the ceiling of the Chamber.)  
Ritsuko (hoarsely, a little hysterical): 'The man and woman responsible for unleashing the Armageddon on the World sentenced to death!'  
(She hears footsteps and she turns her gaze up to Gendo. He sighs and takes his glasses off. Her eyes widen as she can see his eyes. Whenever she has worked with Gendo Ikari, anytime she had seen him after his wife's 'death,' he has always had his glasses on. His shield to the world. Even when he had caught her in the middle of a darkened office or in her apartment, he has left the glasses set on his face.)  
(FLASHBACK)  
(Gendo Ikari is kissing her, his hands smoothing over her lean, narrow curves. Her lab-coat is off on one shoulder and his thigh is between hers. It has been a long shift, yet, he had driven her home and now she is braced against the door of her apartment door.)  
Ritsuko (whimpering): Ikari...oh Ikari...  
(Her hands slip up his sides and she reaches for his face. He is still kissing her when she tries to take his glasses off.)  
Gendo (whispering): Do not take them off, Doctor Akagi.  
(She blinks at the venom in his voice. His eyes are watching her, but they seem black in the light coming from the overhead lamp.)  
Ritsuko: Gendo-?  
Gendo (sharply): Hush. Just be silent...  
(Present)  
Ritsuko (thickly): Ikari...  
Gendo (kneeling beside the woman): I don't want you to think about anything, Ritsuko. I want you to be free of mind. Don't think about the future...   
(He cracks a smile at her.)  
Gendo (kissing her lips): You think too much anyway...  
------------------------------  
(Touji can only stare at the beam of light. It is beautiful, yet it seems unnatural...wrong, in some way. Like he has never been meant to see this sight. The hairs on his arms are prickling as if he has just walked across a shaggy carpeted floor in socks.)  
Touji (softly): W-What the hell is this? Is this...real?  
(The light is pure and white, illuminating the slumped building around it in glossy brilliance. It is as if the air has become solid, like the milkiest-white marble ever known. Touji can swear to be seeing ghostly images blurring just beyond his field of vision, as though he is gazing upon a rift in the world, flashing the faces of people he has known and are gone.)  
(EVA Unit 03 is standing limp-armed before the beam when the first Angel arrives. He turns his eyes slowly up to the stark, grinning face of the rogue EVA, trying to understand if this is real or another afterimage from the beam. The EVA has a long, double-pronged Lance in its fist as it raises it over its head, the organic metal hungry for the bite of his flesh.)  
(Static)  
(The white Angel's wings flare in excitement and the Lance dives for Unit 03's chest.)  
Voice (hushed with static, but frantic): Touji! MOVE!  
(Touji blinks and gives a shout as he realizes that the vision of the Angel is very real. Unit 03 staggers to the side, away from the Stairway. The Lance is driven deep into the husk of a nearby building which promptly crumbles.)  
Touji (looking around for the face that belongs to the voice): M-Misato?! Is that you?!  
Misato (her voice crackling): Y..ah, it's (-static-) Wha...you do..ng?! Move! That An..el is out for bl..od!!!  
(Unit 03's narrow head looks up to find the Angel pulling its Lance out of the building and turning on it.)  
Touji (jerking away from the crystal clear projection of the rogue EVA): Misato!  
Misato (sharply): Don't ask...for help! You have to do this....... I believe in...ou!  
(Touji pulls hard on the butterfly handles, but the EVA moves slowly. The Lance is zipping toward him again, but this time, Touji feels like his leg has been taken off. The Fourth Child screams and the EVA wraps its hands around the Lance buried in its thigh. Tears are blurring Touji's sight and when he looks down, he is shocked to see blood mixing with the LCL.)  
Touji (screaming): Misato! I'm bleeding!  
Misato (quickly): I...know, Touji! ...'s a copy of the....ance of Longinsis! The power...f that staff is beyond.....under...tanding. Do NOT get...hit! It will......ear you ....part!  
(Unit 03 hobbles back into a nearby office building, holding the Lance in its flesh. The Angel is leering at it, twisting the staff of the Lance in the EVA. The feeling is close to the time where Asuka had actually punched him in a pressure point by 'accident.' His leg had actually gone out on him and was numb for the better part of that day. Touji screams again, almost letting go of the prongs.)  
Touji (snapping): Son of a BITCH!!  
(Unit 03's head snaps up to growl at the Angel. The Angel draws back slightly as the sight of the unbalanced Unit 03. The Evangelion lashes out with its   
unpinned foot and catches the Angel in the torso. The impact sends the winged Entity sailing back into an industrial park.)  
Touji (gritting his teeth so hard that his jaw creaks): God...  
(Unit 03 pulls the Lance out of its leg and Touji gives a little yelp of pain. The EVA falls to its knees, bracing its upper body with the captured Lance.)  
Touji (whispering): Asuka...are you...there?  
(Silence)  
Touji (forcing his EVA to its feet, craning his neck): Asuka...? ...! My...God...  
(When the winged-Angels had struck, a single one had broken off from the fleet and attacked Unit 03, attempting to secure the Stairway. The other seven Angels...had attacked Unit 02, sensing that Asuka is far more agile in her Evangelion than the Fourth Child. The result...was devastating.)  
Touji (softly): A-Asuka...?  
(Unit 02 is standing over one of the Angels, its wings splattered on a nearby high-rise. But, the EVA is missing an arm and there is a wide gash in its side, thus is using its auto-rifle as a crutch. The EVA's bloodied head is hanging against its chest, its right-set of eyes gouged out.)  
Touji (coughing at the cry building in his chest): Asuka?!  
Asuka (very softly): S...Shut up, Dumphof. It is hard enough to concentrate......without you screaming my name.  
(The six remaining Angels are circling the trembling EVA slowly, their grinning faces painted in the blood of their fallen comrade and Unit 02.)  
Asuka (snarling): You GODDAMN vultures!  
(Unit 02 staggers toward one of the Angels and it dances away, just out of her reach.)  
Touji (starting toward Unit 02): Asuka-  
Misato (the line secured and clean now, her voice crystal clear): Pilot Suzuhara! Remain at your post! ...there is still...an Angel luring in your sector.  
Touji (snapping): Fuck that! I have to-   
Asuka (viciously): Touji! I swear if you come over here...I'll kick your ass!  
Touji (whispering): Asuka...  
Asuka (breathing heavily): You must...make sure...the invincible Shinji...makes it to...that hole in...the sky!  
Touji (eyes widening, thinking): ...this is the power of her love. She will fight until those Angels rip her plug out of her dismantled EVA. Hikari...oh God, what am I supposed to do?  
(That is when the Messager rises out of the depths of NERV.)  
---------------------------------------  
(Civilian Shelter Number 3. The place is dark and there is the sound of dripping water somewhere. The place is absolutely empty...save the three children who have found their way there. The ground shakes and a few wisps of dust tumbles to the floor. Hikari is laying against the wall, her eyes closed though she isn't sleeping. Hidaka is snoring lightly, her head resting on the older girl's lap.)  
(Kensuke groans and lowers the camcorder he has been trying to use to get information on the battle raging outside their cement and steel world.)  
Hikari (cracking her eye): Anything?  
Kensuke (laying on his back in the middle of the floor, sighing deeply): Nope. You would think that NERV would care less about censoring the airwaves now, but, once again they surprise me!  
(Kensuke rolls the camcorder away and Hikari can see the serene sight of a forest with the usual government dribble about technical difficulties. We will have the viewer net up as soon as possible, etc, etc... She has never really cared about the censorship, since it give her a reason not to care. But now that Touji is out there, she can feel for Kensuke Aida.)  
Hikari (leaning her head back against the trembling wall): So...how long do you think it will take?  
Kensuke (taking his glasses off and cleaning them with the edge of his button-down shirt): How long will what take?  
Hikari (looking at him through her lashes): The end of the world, stupid.   
Kensuke (peeking up at Hikari): You don't think that NERV can stop the Angels this time?  
Hikari (very quietly, very seriously): Kensuke, you have seen the city. T-There are rumors that Hikaru is dead! This is not a video-game war, no matter what the news has said or what the propaganda says, we are fighting a losing battle. Every time the Angels have attacked, we have lost a little more. Now that the city is rubble, what is left?  
Kensuke (putting his glasses back on and folding his hands behind his head, staring at the midnight-blue ceiling): You have a point there.  
Hikari (shouting, jolting forward): How-  
(Hidaka murmurs in her sleep, frowning at the loud voice. Hikari goes quiet and whispers gentle words to the girl.)  
Hidaka (whispering in her sleep): Mama...  
(And she is sleeping again.)  
Hikari (quieter now): How can you be so calm about this? There-  
Kensuke (softly): -is nothing we can do about it. I can go out to the forest, out to the fields and play war. I can be the greatest hero that has ever stepped across the surface of this planet. But you know what? I am still here in this shelter. You know why? Because I can't believe that Fate would be so cruel as to let us come so far as a species, then wipe us out in the blink of an eye!  
Hikari (gazing down at Hidaka, stroking her head gently): ...  
Kensuke (pulling out a hand from under his head so he could rub the spot under his nose): If...if we are to die here...well, then that's how it is to be. Worrying about it isn't going to make the end anymore sudden or kind. But you have to consider this...  
(Hikari can feel Kensuke staring at her and she looks up at him. He smiles broadly.)  
Kensuke: You have to remember that we have some of the best EVA pilots in the world out there right now, fighting for our lives! Asuka, who is the Queen of all bitches-  
Hikari (startled into soft laughter): Kensuke-!  
Kensuke (continuing): -but she is one hell of a pilot! You have to remember, I've seen her in action against an Angel while I was on the U.S.S. Over-the Rainbow!   
(Pause)  
Kensuke (aside): Never mind that she had Shinji backing her up that time...BUT, she was still able to defeat the Angel!  
(The ground shakes again and there is an explosion nearby. Hikari clutches Hidaka, but the sound fades away and there is silence again.)  
Kensuke: Then, you have Touji...  
Hikari (sniffing and nodding): ...yeah.  
Kensuke (thoughtfully): I'm not sure how he is with an EVA, but I know he can kick ass when he wants to! And you can't forget Rei. Rei is quiet, weird, but something about her makes me that that if she puts her mind to something like a battle, she would be a demon!  
(Silence)  
Kensuke: And then...there's Shinji. He...He goes through so much. Every time I hang out with him, there's always the shadow of pain in his eyes.  
Hikari (awed): Kensuke Aide...I would never have thought that you, of all the people in the world, would have seen something like that.  
Kensuke (proudly, puffing his chest out): A good soldier needs to be most observant!  
Hikari (sighing): Oh, brother...  
(Kensuke is silent for a long moment and the sound of battle rattles about within the shelter. The boy sighs and rolls up so he's sitting on the cement.)  
Kensuke (looking at Hikari out of the corner of his eye): If anyone can set us right, it is Ikari.   
(Kensuke gives a little laugh and lays back down.)  
Kensuke (aloud): In Ikari we trust!  
(Hikari cracks a laugh despite the tears filling her eyes.)  
--------------------------------  
(Unit 03 is staring at the powerful, white creature drifting up from the hole in the ground. It looks nothing like EVA Unit 01. Its arms are heavily armored and it has what looks like wings laying down its back and deep into the hole. Its head is submerged within a organic hood which reminds Touji a bit of the front of one of those old-fashion nuclear submarines that Kensuke is so crazy about.)  
Asuka (shouting): Touji! Angel!  
(Touji turns his head and sees one of the rogue EVAs stalking quickly towards Unit 01, slipping in between buildings easily.)  
Touji (growling): Shit!   
(The Fourth Child forces the pain away from his mind and Unit 03 staggers across the ruined street and posts itself in front of the Stairway. Glancing back over his shoulder, Touji can see the modified EVA rising up behind him. The thing is enormous, even with its wings swept back. Its arms are crossed over its chest and its head is leaning back, as if in awe of the Abyss over its head.)  
(The Angel tears from the shelter of the crumbling cityscape and charges Unit 03, its wings flared open to appear far larger than it is.)  
Touji (bringing the EVA to spin the Lance in its hands, sure that no kung fu actor had ever thought of doing such a thing with a giant robot): Come on, you bastard! I might not know everything there is to know about piloting, but fighting is right up my alley!  
(The Angel leaps into the air and glides toward the EVA with enough speed to tear up the surrounding debris in the street up in a whirlwind. Unit 03 stands straight before the Angel.)  
Misato (shouting): Touji-  
Touji (calmly): I know what I'm doing.  
Misato (sharply): I don't think you do! I've already lost...lost Hikaru...I don't want-  
Touji (grinning): Trust me.  
(The Angel shrieks, though its mouth remains closed. The winged Angel is almost on top of Unit 03 when the Evangelion moves in a way that is utterly unnatural. Its back flexes and the EVA seems to collapse in a tangle of arms and legs like a marionette who has just had its strings cut. The Angel realizes its mistake a second too late. The Angel, which has been diving straight for an upright EVA, left itself no room to attack a grounded one. The Angel's chest and internal Core are completely exposed. The EVA's head flashes up and the Lance is launched.)  
Touji (panting): Gotcha!  
(A moment later, the Angel plows into a nearby building, thrashing about with the Lance buried in the center of its chest. Unit 03 oozes back into an upright, though hunched over stance and walks over to the Angel.)  
Misato (whispering): Touji...how...?  
Touji (grimacing as he cracks his neck): I...was conscious during the first activation, Misato.  
Misato: ...  
(The Evangelion grasps the Lance's staff through the clouding dust. The EVA's cruel eyes turn down to gaze at the weak Angel, struggling to get upright. The Lance is pulled out, then thrust back in, this time into the rogue EVA's head, pinning the creature to the mound of rumble. Touji feels no triumph. He is so tired and he has only defeated one. There are another six...left...)  
Touji (crying out, looking over his shoulder toward Asuka's last position): Asuka!  
(Unit 01's wings flash and extend wide. The EVA is high over the city now and the wings are long, silver, and flowing. Half the city is shadowed by their width. The EVA now spreads its hands wide...)  
-------------------------  
(Asuka's breath is labored and specks of blood sprinkle her lips. Her "missing" hand is cupping her destroyed eye. She is getting tunnel-vision from the loss of blood and it seems like everywhere she looks, the white Angels are waiting for her. When their comrade had made a run for the Stairway, they had gone silent, moving only when she had made an exhausted swipe at them.)  
Asuka (thinking miserably): T-They don't even consider me...a threat anymore!   
(Asuka turns her head, blood flowing in between her fingers.)  
Asuka (dimly): If I...brace myself...against that building...  
(Unit 02 forces its wounded leg to work and Asuka groans as she drags her EVA over to the heavy-walled structure. She braces her EVA's back against the wall and pulls the auto-rifle up. She sees the Angels jolt and she knows that the one giving Touji so much grief has met a gruesome end.)  
Asuka (grinning savagely): Good...very good...rookie...  
(They suddenly seem to notice that she has moved her Evangelion and they hiss like a pack of wild cats. Asuka closes her working eye and pulls the trigger. Tracers fly in a wide spray, pelting the Angels, causing their AT Fields to flash and spark. They seem to grin wider and the one to her left closes towards her, angling its Lance toward her EVA's side.)  
Asuka (slumping in her seat): ...I'm...too weak... I can't stop them...  
(The closest Angel hisses almost in excitement, remind Asuka perversely of a kid at his Christmas tree, opening his presents.)  
Asuka (whispering past dry lips): Shinji...  
(Then, its head is gone. Simple as that. One moment it was there, then it is not. The surrounding Angels flutter away, landing on nearby building and hills, crouched low, scanning for the source of danger.)  
Misato (shouting): All right, Rei!  
Asuka (softly): Rei...?  
(She turns her head and sees the Lance of Longinsis sticking out of a nearby building. The beheaded Angel staggers and begins to regenerate its head. What the Lance hasn't done, the NERV positron rifle does. The high-powered beam strikes the Angel right in the back and cuts a clean line through the Entity's Core.)  
Asuka (turning her eye up to see Unit 00 standing on the other end of the street): You're...late.  
Rei (her face flashing up next to Asuka's): I'm sorry.  
Asuka (coughing): Damn...so you aren't perfect...Wonder Girl.  
(Rei gazes at Asuka for a long moment, then smiles, which Asuka can only stare at in shock.)  
Rei (softly): No...I'm not.  
(Unit 00 and Unit 02 turn to the Angels just in time to see them launch from their perches, zeroing in on the pilots.)  
----------------------------------  
(The modified Unit 01 hangs just under the Abyss...)  
(Unit 00 rests against a building, its head buried in the wall, a Lance sticking out of its back...)  
(Unit 02 braces weakly over Asuka's school, unable to even face its opponents any longer...)  
(Unit 03 is howling, contamination raging through its pilot's body, its hands peeling one of the white Angel's alive with its bare hands...)  
(The door to the Command Center gives away and blank-faced UN soldiers race in...)  
(Maya looks up just as she manages to get the MAGI back online...Ritsuko's ultimate anti-hacker program shimmering across the holographic displays. Defeat is luring in her dark eyes...)  
(Misato stands tall before the UN, her eyes filled with contempt...)  
Misato (whispering): Too late...we will not be silenced!  
(The SEELE lapdogs open fire...)  
(Gendo Ikari strokes the back of Ritsuko's head which is resting on his naked chest. A gun is cradled in his free hand...)  
Gendo (closing his eyes): I am no God...I was never...compassionate enough to be one...  
(Unit 01 rises into the Abyss...)  
Shinji (tears leaking down his cheeks as he gazes up at the explosion of light): ...M-Mother? NO!!!  
(As Unit 01 is absorbed, golden, titan wings flash out from its back, extending away from Lillith's wings. The Evangelion screams as its wings punch out through the Abyss and onto space. Shinji trembles as that which he is falls away from the entangled EVA...)  
(The world shutters and is engulfed by the Third Impact.)  
----------------------------- (INTERMISSION) ------------------------------------  
........  
.....  
...  
.  
Cherry blossoms...  
(Shinji is laying on an obsidian hillside, staring up at the sky. Thoughts are racing through his head, though he can't understand any of them. It is like something terrible has happened, like a horrible nightmare, but he can't remember what it was about. The delicate petals of the cherry blossoms flutter down from the sky, caressing his cheeks like rosy tears. The sky is so dark, yet the petals are bright...almost burning in the gloom.)  
Shinji (laying an arm against his forehead, whispering): Where...am I? What is this place?  
(There is the faint rustle of cloth and he turns his head towards the sound. Violet eyes that make Shinji bit his lip with the pain the sight gives him. Hikaru is standing there in her school uniform, her head is cocked to one side and she is smiling at him.)   
Hikaru (sighing, her hands folded behind her back): Such a sad look for such pretty eyes.  
Shinji (reaching out for her, shaking): H-Hikaru?! A-Are you real?  
Hikaru (her eyes darkening with a secret pain, taking his hand in both of hers): As real as you.  
Shinji (sitting up to look around, but not letting go of her hands): What is this...place?  
Hikaru (sitting down besides Shinji, tugging her legs under her): You tell me. This is your place. This is your beginning...I am only here because you need me.  
Shinji (looking down with eyes brown once more): I do need you... Why did you have to die?  
Hikaru (laughing softly, pulling one of her hands free to cover her mouth): A knight in shining armor can't always save the damsel in distress. Sometimes it works the opposite way. Life isn't planned, Shinji. It isn't...wasn't a perfect world.   
Shinji (sharply): I know that! But you were important...to me...to everyone...  
Hikaru: ...  
Shinji (looking at her): When you died...I didn't want to go on... Knowing that you had to die so I lived-  
(Hikaru slaps Shinji, hard. Her eyes are blazing with fury barely contained.)  
Hikaru (whispering hoarsely): Don't...ever say that! I gave my life willingly, Shinji. I did it because it was the right thing to do! Until you understand that...  
(Hikaru looks around while Shinji rubs his cheek, confused.)  
Shinji (whispering): I wish...  
Hikaru (closing her eyes): ...Shinji...no...  
Shinji (looking at her): ...that everything was as it always used to be!  
Hikaru (her eyes sad as the world begins to fade into a blaze of white): ...Shinji...this isn't...the way...  
(Her thick voice echoes into silence...)  
---------------------------------  
(The toast pops up and Shinji grabs it while it is still piping hot.)  
Shinji (grimacing, tossing the piece of toast from one hand to the other): Ah! Ah!  
Asuka (glaring at him from the table): Dumpkof! You are supposed to wait until it cools a bit!  
Shinji (sitting across from her, grinning widely): Well, if I waited, then the butter won't melt.  
Asuka (shaking her head as she shoves some scrambled egg into her mouth): Idiot...  
(Shinji lavishes butter on the toast, but he is staring at Asuka, his eyes glowing as he does so. Asuka notices the look and blushes a little.)  
Asuka (scowling, her cheeks burning): W-What?! What are you looking at?  
Shinji (cramming a bunch of toast into his mouth): Ah was jus' thinkin' wha' a beautiful day it was!  
Asuka (wrinkling her nose as the food coming out of his mouth): Ewww...gross! Finish what you have in your mouth before you speak! Moron!  
Shinji (laughing): Yes, Asuka!  
Misato (walking in her hair in utter disarray, yawning widely as she comes to the table in her tank-top and shorts): G'morning...Shinji...Asuka...  
Shinji (eyes going wide, looking at the Major's empty spot): Oh! Misato, I forgot your breakfast!   
(Shinji gets up to get Misato something to eat. When he glances back at her to measure her mood, he realizes with a start that Misato already has a plate.)   
Shinji (thinking, frowning): Where did that come from? I've never forgotten Misato's plate before...but I know I didn't put that plate there...  
(The Third Child shrugs it away and smiles again.)  
Shinji (happily): No matter!   
------------------------------------  
(School is boring as usual. Lunch is loud and rowdy as usual. Hikaru and Asuka get into a fight as usual. Touji and Kensuke ogle the pretty girls on the track as usual. Rei sits in the corner of the school room as usual. Shinji goes home with Asuka as usual. Asuka watches TV and Shinji cooks as usual. Shinji falls asleep with his SDAT running...as usual.)  
(Next morning...the toast pops up and Shinji grabs it while it is still piping hot.)  
Shinji (grimacing, tossing the piece of toast from one hand to the other): Ah! Ah!  
Asuka (glaring at him from the table): Dumpkof! You are supposed to wait until it cools a bit!  
(Shinji freezes at the counter, forgetting about the scolding piece of toast in his hand.)  
Shinji (glancing back at the girl, softly): What?  
(Asuka scowls, then shrugs.)  
(Shinji bites a bit of the toast off.)  
Shinji (softly): A-Asuka-   
Asuka (wrinkling her nose as the food coming out of his mouth): Ewww...gross! Finish what you have in your mouth before you speak! Moron!  
Shinji (his eyes widening, his mouth hanging open): Asuka! Don't-  
Misato (walking in her hair in utter disarray, yawning widely as she comes to the table in her tank-top and shorts): G'morning...Shinji...Asuka...  
Shinji (gasping): My...God...  
(Misato begins to eat from the plate that he hasn't put out.)  
Hikaru (whispering behind him, her arms crossed under her breasts, her eyes sad): Do you understand now?  
Shinji (spinning around to look at her): H-Hikaru, what is going on here?! Why is everything-  
(His eyes snapping wide as the realization hits him.)  
Hikaru (smiling though her eyes are overcast): ...as usual? ...as it 'always used to be?'  
Shinji (staggering against the kitchen counter, his hand pressed against his forehead): ...n-no...it isn't possible...  
Hikaru (coming before him, leaning down so she could look him in the face...as Misato had a lifetime ago when he was refusing to get into Unit 01 for the first time): Can you describe the human experience so easily, Shinji? Even if you could, would you want to live like that?  
Shinji (trembling): W-What is going on, Hikaru?   
(Hikaru straightens up and steps out of the way as Asuka rushes to her room, shouting at Shinji about being late.)  
Hikaru (gently): Imagine yourself in a field...say one of the fields on the outskirts of Tokyo-3...  
Shinji (closing his eyes): ...  
(When he opens them again he gasps. The wind is teasing his hair and pushing waves through the long grass. The sky is as blue as he remembers it with long, thin wisps of cloud lapping the air currents.)  
Hikaru (walking up next to him): This is a place of pure thought...raw ideas...  
(The Sixth Child spreads her arms wide and spins around, her skirt is caught up by the breeze and flashes about her thighs.)  
Hikaru (stopping a few steps from Shinji, her eyes sparkling): This...is a world of Gods. This is the place in between reality and dreams. Shall I go on?  
Shinji (shuttering): H-How did I get here-?  
Gendo (appearing behind Shinji): You come here under the cloak of an Angel.  
(Shinji turns sharply to look at his father. The elder Ikari is watching Shinji with the coldest look in his eye. It is at that point that Shinji realizes that it is his father, yet it isn't.)  
Shinji (whispering): What does that mean? Lillith-  
Gendo (his hands are folded behind his back): Correct. This is that moment in which Lillith is being brought back into the fold. When the Abyss appeared over Tokyo-3, I knew that simple combat tactics created by your Major Katsuragi or anything Doctor Akagi would have come up with would have been...ineffective. That is why I had enacted the pact I had made long before the appearance of the Third Angel.   
Shinji (his eyes were wide): Y-You knew?  
Gendo (pushing his glasses up): Yes. I knew that while Lillith absorbed Unit 01's presence, the Abyss would absorb Lillith, yet not recognize you. It would give you that instant in which to mold the future-  
Shinji (shouting): I-Instant?! I've been here for two days!  
Hikaru (softly into his ear): Time means nothing in the mind, Shinji. This was the great scenario of your father.  
Shinji (looking back at the girl): ...my f-father knew?  
Hikaru (pressing her lips tight together): H-He hoped...  
Shinji: ...what now?  
(He glances to his father, but the Supreme Commander's image is already gone.)  
Hikaru (closing her eyes): Now...you finish what your father has started...  
(The wind howls...the sound changes slowly and the universe ripples...)  
-----------------------------------------   
(...the sky is like a cyclone made of blood, spinning and screaming. Shinji is in the modified Unit 01. The cockpit has been grossly altered, filled with tendrils of living flesh webbing over everything and arching over the Third Child. The unfamiliar plug causes Shinji to shiver and goose-bumps to rise on his arms.)  
Shinji (whispering): T-This is EVA?  
Hikaru (appearing, leaning casually against the wall of the organic plug, a free-floating ghost of the past): What is left of it, yes.   
(She glances around at the white, lumpy walls and her whole body gives a sharp shake.)  
Hikaru (softly): The Angels...have a different sense of beauty than Their lesser siblings...  
Shinji (touching the butterfly control handles carefully, touching the warm appendages with deep caution in his eyes): What?  
Hikaru (crossing her arms over her stomach): Nothing.  
Shinji (shaking his head): No! What did you mean by-  
Hikaru (glancing to her left, out at the world around the EVA): Look , Third Child.  
(Something in her voice, a deep, disquieted tremor makes Shinji look away from her to view the alien world beyond the Abyss once more.)  
Shinji (choking): M-My God...  
(The land before the EVA is unstable at best, changing from moment to moment under the EVA's feet. Yet, in the distance, the Children can make out a single spot of solidity...a temple of the soul, the resting place of the Consciousness. The structure is alloy and flesh at the same moment, twisting out far and wide like a distorted double-helix. The gray and emerald temple soars up into the sky, disappearing into infinity. It spins slowly and completely, the calm, secret center of the Universe. Flying up with the spinning helixes is a single, focused beam of blinding light that seems to shine forever. The origin of the light lays at the center of the Alter.)  
Hikaru (floating close to Shinji, placing a hand on his shoulder so he feels and knows human contact): That is your target, Shinji.  
(Shinji nods slowly and urges the EVA to move toward the structure. The human thought flickers through the EVA and it lifts it head from its bowed position. It is gasping weakly, having not come through the journey into the Abyss undamaged. The Angel/EVA begins to drag itself forward on trembling legs. The tortured, nightmare landscape falls away as they get closer to the center of the Abyss until they are walking through the purest night, nothing but the temple and the light are visible.)  
(The modified Unit 01 stops and its wings collapse to the unseen ground with a hideous crack of snapped tendons. The EVA screams, falling to its knees. Shinji gasps with the new pain and whimpers as he crosses his arms across his chest so he can reach back and hold his "shattered" shoulder blades.)  
Hikaru (coming closer to touch his head, quickly): Lillith...is not able to make it. She is being destroyed as She comes closer to the Center. She is completely melded with Unit 01, so...the Evangelion cannot go any farther.  
Shinji (whispering, glancing over at the Sixth Child with tears streaming down his cheeks): ...t-then, how are we supposed to go there...?  
Hikaru (smiling gently, offering her hand to him): Come with me, Shinji.  
(Shinji gazes at Hikaru and wonders if it is a trap. The EVA groans and collapses face-down on the ground, its breath wheezing in the silence of the place.)  
Shinji (thinking): I-I have no choice anymore. If it is a trap, then I have failed.  
(Shinji takes the girl's hand and the plug fades away around them. When Shinji blinks, he and Hikaru are standing just beyond the EVA. He looks back at the creation and finds it watching him with those familiar, green eyes. It has done so much in its madness-stricken way.)  
Shinji (choked): M-My mother gave herself to this thing...didn't she?  
Hikaru (bowing her head): ...  
(The Third Child walks to the EVA and feels as though a dam has broken free within him. His father's mistake...the elder Ikari had no idea what would happen when they had connected the Beast with a human ego. In that single activation test, humanity had learned more about the Angels and the EVAs than even in the Second Impact. Shinji's mother had lost her life, Gendo Ikari had lost his wife and his humanity, and Shinji...he had lost his family. Shinji walks to the monstrous creation and lays his head against the smooth flesh of its forehead.)  
Shinji (sobbing against the warm flesh): Mommy...mommy...I release you... Rest now.  
(The Evangelion howls and moves to crush the Third Child, but in that instant, Shinji had undone so much. The EVA's metal-shod fist plows into the ground a mere five meters from the Third Child. The consciousness in the green, alien eyes wavers, then fades away. Silken arms unseen reach out from the beyond the flesh of the EVA and slip around Shinji's shoulders and his face is resting against the warm, soft bosom of his mother. He cracks his eyes open and sees her fading, smiling face. She...looks like...Ayanami...)  
Yui (very softly): Goodbye...my baby... My dear Shinji...  
(The Abyss is silent and Shinji is alone. The EVA has gone quiet, yet the seven eyes of Lillith watch the human curiously.)  
Third...  
(Shinji steps back away from the EVA and rubs the back of his arm across his eyes. Then, he finally turns to gaze at Hikaru who is biting her lip.)  
Shinji (quietly): Okay, let's go.  
-------------------------------------------  
(He can feel it in his bones...he can feel it deep inside as Shinji watches the Throne of Souls pulse before him. The shock-waves are silent, mere distortions of light just within his field of vision. This is the place where it all began...and this is where it is all going to end. Hikaru is suddenly not at his side anymore and he stops to look back at her.)  
Hikaru (not meeting his eyes): I-I'm sorry...I can't go any further, Shinji.  
Shinji (turning to the girl, cold fear trickling over his spine): What?! Hikaru, I can't go alone-  
Hikaru (hoarsely, closing her eyes tightly): Shinji...  
Shinji (blinking slowly at her): ...what is it?  
Hikaru (softly): What is in that Alter...can destroy me in a heartbeat as you have summoned me.  
Shinji (letting out a bark of somewhat hysterical laughter): So, what chance to I have-  
Hikaru (deep sadness flickering in her violet eyes): When you go within, you will understand. Souls from this place...are fragile things. As it is...  
(She looks around and shivers a little.)  
Hikaru: You brought me here...you freed my mind to help you. Not all are like that...in fact, you are the only other aware soul in this place.  
Shinji (softly): ...why?  
Hikaru (looking up a little fearfully at him, as if fearing he would strike her down at her answer): Complex Egos are too tangled, too diverse to survive for long here... The Third Impact melted all into a Collective Consciousness.  
(Shinji's eyes grows wide with sudden understanding. With new terror. As Hikaru speaks an image appears behind her. Earth on its lonely orbit around the sun. But it isn't as Shinji is used to see it, as he has seen it on news clips or documentaries. The planet is blackened now, as if there had been a great firestorm that had swept across the world. Lines of lava are woven throughout the continents and the Third Child can make out no rivers or oceans. The most horrible thing in the image is the sight of a thick, red mist circling about the burden planet like a ring of fog. Only...it isn't fog... He knows this. He had seen the very same thing in the United States...in Alaska...)  
Shinji (his mouth falling open and he crumbles to his knees): N-No...oh God...no...Misato...Asuka...Rei...NOOOOO!!!!  
(He clutches his head and begins to scream. He has failed before he even he had even began. There had never even been a chance. He wants to die. He wants to join them. )  
Shinji (sitting back on his knees and staring straight up at the sky, staring at the beam of light): God...let me-  
Hikaru (slapping a hand over his mouth): NO! Shinji! You don't understand!  
(His frenzied eyes turn to her over her hand and she pushes her fingers through his hair before hugging him against her body. His strength leaves him and he rests against her warmth.)  
Hikaru (whispering against his hair): You are still here, Shinji. Your father's plan has worked. You were not assimilated with the rest of Humanity. It is true that the Third Impact has occurred-  
(His arms tightening around her waist, but she hushes him as she would a sobbing child.)  
Hikaru (continuing kindly): I don't understand it all...but this is a place of infinite possibilities...  
(The Sixth Child gives a half-laugh, half cry as she hugs him tighter.)  
Hikaru: I've seen you defeat creatures so awesome in their power that any other man would have run the other way!  
Shinji: ...  
Hikaru (her hand stroking the back of his head): I've seen you suffer unspeakable pain, yet still walk away from the wreckage...  
(She pulls away from Shinji so she can look him in the face. She cups his cheeks so he will look at her. He stares up at her with his dark, dark eyes.)  
Hikaru (softly): I will wait for you here...forever if you need that... Beyond those arches...you will be faced with a horrible choice. Afterward, I don't know what will happen...but whatever comes, we will face it together. I will always be here for you.  
(With that, she kisses Shinji gently on his lips. The contact warms him where he has been cold for so long. He gazes up at her for a long time, then slowly drags himself to his feet. He is soul-tired, but he is still useful. That is why he came to Tokyo-3 in the first place...why he left his pathetic existence with his relatives. He could have been nobody. He could have been ignorant. He could have died in a single second with the rest of humanity.)  
(But he hadn't. He is all that is left and he has a job to do.)  
(He walks into the Alter...)  
-------------------------------------   
(Shinji steps through the arches of the double helix and finds himself in another place. He has come to realize that there is nothing that cannot happen in this world, but still, the transition is startling.)  
(Leafless trees rise up around him and he can't see the arches anymore. It is night, but not quite dark. The silence seems so deep that it is almost as if the forest of black, bony trees are holding their breath. There is fog flowing slowing in between the ropy trucks of the trees, covering everything with a milky-white film. The air is so moist, it reminds Shinji a little of the LCL and he coughs softly into his hand.)  
Shinji (whispering past dry lips): H-Hello...?  
(The fogs flutters like started moths, but the silence is omnipresent. Shinji begins to plod through the slick, muddy ground, losing his footing from time to time. The trees grow up over his head and soon it seems as though he is walking down a vaulted corridor.)  
Shinji (glancing up as the trees thin, then fall away to reveal a clearing): ...?  
(A silent person is standing before him, hands stuffed into khaki shorts. The person is gazing up at the frosted sky at the hazy moon, his back to Shinji.)  
Shinji (his eyes growing large): ...you!  
Adam (turning his face toward the Third Child): Hello, Third.  
(Shinji shakes his head and wonders if he has summoned another soul in his desperation. Hikaru had called this place a world of infinity possibilities. Anything is possible.)  
Shinji (taking careful steps toward the Child): W-What are you doing here?  
(Adam flashes a sad smile and turns his face back to the moon. Shinji opens his mouth, but then sees the Child's legs. He cannot quite contain his gasp of horror. Roots, from the trees most likely, are growing into the Child's calves. Even as Shinji watches, he can see the tendrils of the parasitic forest lacing up the boy's legs like oversized veins.)  
Shinji (his heart pounding): W-What...?!  
Adam (sighing): What is happening to me? Is that your question?  
(Shinji can only nod.)  
Adam (looking down at his legs): I am becoming one with Him. It was my fate the moment I felt the world behind.  
Shinji (stuttering): Y-You are becoming one-?  
Adam: Assimilated...as humanity was assimilated. Become one with the Father. The giver and devourer of life.   
Shinji (whispering): 'Giver of life...?'  
Adam: You don't really believe your evolution was a mistake, do you?  
Shinji (shivering): E-Evolution-?!  
Adam: Humanity...the creature that rose above all other species on the planet, not because of your strength or size, but because of your minds... Your ability to become more than you are. A...gift from a sleeping God.  
(Shinji feels like he is going to be sick. The thought that everything...everything had begun with the Angels-)  
(A vivid image of Unit 01 without the benefit of the head-shielding flashes through the Third Child's mind. That recognition in those eyes...that sense of familiarity that had never left Shinji, even after all the times he had piloted the EVA...it made sense now. He isn't a pilot...he is a guide to a blind sibling. The idea that Mankind has grown from such vicious, destructive creatures...GOD...)  
Shinji (slowly, his head bowed): And now that He is awake...  
Adam: ...he has decided that what he has wrought is not good. He is starting over.  
Shinji (shouting suddenly, the image of the burden planet still flesh in his mind): B-But EARTH-!  
Adam (sharply): Means nothing to Him. For a homeless traveler, what is one soiled pile of rags? He does as he wishes and he does not care for his Children or Their cries.  
Shinji (hoarsely): ...don't say that...  
Adam (glaring at the Third Child): Even if it is true?  
Shinji (shouting): I don't care!   
Adam: ...  
Shinji (clutching his fists at his sides so hard that his arms were trembling): I-I have learned that we are not our parents... We are our own people.   
Adam: ...  
Shinji (pressing a hand to his chest): I am not Gendo Ikari. I have compassion for my loved ones. I would rather sacrifice myself than let those I care about come to harm!   
(Pause.)  
Shinji (calling out loud and clear so that the whole forest can hear him): I don't care what a callous Father feels! I will live without Him!   
Adam (closing his eyes against the savage pain in his soul and smiling despite himself): Shinji...  
(Long silence.)  
Adam (looking at Shinji with those familiar eyes): Our father chose well.  
Shinji: ...!  
(The forest is filled with terrible tension, but Adam stares hard at the Third Child.)  
Adam: Then I have a favor to ask you...  
Shinji (looks cautiously at the Child, there is a strange tone in his voice): What is it?  
Adam (pulling a switchblade from his pocket): Stop me...  
Shinji (drawing back): WHAT?!  
Adam (coughing, trembling as his thighs disappear into a mass of twisted flesh): I am being destroyed, but He is completely connected with me now. The death of me...well, you will decide what happens next...  
Shinji: I-I can't-  
Adam (snarling): Then, this is your grave! Do you believe He will stop with me?!   
Shinji (wrapping his arms around himself): I-I-  
Adam: SHINJI!! You can't RUN from this!  
(The Third Child stands before Adam with his eyes hidden in shadow. His flesh looks like the purest white under the blurry moon. He looks fragile...like he is made of stretched silk and twigs...but the Child knows Shinji...perhaps better than the Third Child himself.)  
Shinji (looking up at the Child, choking): Adam...  
(He takes the knife.)  
------------------------------------  
(Flash of a blade.)  
(The tear of flesh.)  
(A single tear rolls down from a dark eye.)  
(The world convulses.)  
(The landscape crumbles.)  
(The trees burst into flame.)  
(Blood spreads over a T-shirt.)  
(The Third of his kind falls into the sky...)  
--------------------------------------  
Voice (gently): You are very brave, Shinji.  
(There is a spot of light.)  
Shinji (whispering): I...couldn't save him.  
(The light is spreading across the horizon. Shinji is sitting atop ancient Greek temple for a long forgotten God, the irony is not lost on him.)  
Shinji: I am not brave. Just useful.  
Hikaru (her bare feet touching down on the eroded roof of the temple, smiling a little warily): It takes strength to be useful...  
(Shinji doesn't laugh.)  
Hikaru (looking around, letting the breeze play with her long, dark hair): Nice place-?  
(The Greek town is unfinished, vanishing in some places without rhyme or reason.)  
Shinji (quietly explaining): I saw this place in a textbook. I have never been here in real-life. I never even really left Japan except for that one time with my father...but then, that didn't really count.  
Hikaru (sitting down next to him, letting her feet hang over the side): ...  
Shinji (staring out at the scattered pillars): I am not my father, Hikaru.  
Hikaru: I know that.  
Shinji (vaguely): Do you? Then you understand that I don't know how to fix this. It is like the answer is there, but I'm not confident enough to act like I know how to put it all back together.  
Hikaru (laying her head on his shoulder): I know, Shinji.   
(The sun is setting in this world of the Third Child. The sky is a wash of amber and deep red, turning all the white marble of the buildings pink.)  
Shinji (gasping, as he bolts upright): I-I know! I will ask the others!  
Hikaru (her eyes sad as she turns her eyes up at him): ...the others?  
Shinji (quickly, excited): Yes! I will ask Misato...or Asuka...or...or Rei! Maybe with the others, I can do something! You said that I was the last chance-  
Hikaru (softly, aching for him): Shinji...  
Shinji (continuing): Well, maybe there is something I'm missing! Something that I can do to...to make everything...right...  
Hikaru (gently): Shinji...complex Egos don't last long here. By now they-  
Shinji (looking down at her for the first time): What? By now what...?  
Hikaru: Their worlds will be bleeding into everyone else's. Their experiences will haunt them. They will not be able to think beyond the reality of the Third Impact. You will be able to recognize them, but they may not recognize you, or they might not want to... This place beyond the Abyss is everyone's heaven or hell depending on how strong someone is...and how they handle so much power over their environment.  
Shinji (jumping up): But the Abyss is gone! Everything-  
Hikaru (holding up a hand): Shinji...  
(She stands up and looks around. She finds some rocks scattered around the top of the temple while the Third Child watches her curiously.)  
Hikaru (turning back to him, the pebbles held in her cupped hands): My hands are the Abyss and these rocks are humanity.  
Shinji (nodding): ...?  
Hikaru (opening her hands and letting the rocks tumble to the marble): You destroyed the Abyss...thus, freeing all that which is humanity...but look. The rocks are in utter disarray. There are no limits, no sense of Collective. This is a world of infinite knowledge...instant gratification. You are in control of yourself because you did not go through the terror of the Third Impact...and you have me to retain your sense of who you are. Without that guide, others have become their own universe of pleasure or pain.  
(Shinji slowly feels his excitement die at Hikaru's words. He looks at her and he can see the pain in her eyes. He shakes his head.)  
Shinji (very quietly): Hikaru...I have to try.  
(The Sixth Child closes her eyes and gives him a sad smile.)  
Hikaru: As you wish...  
(The Greek town pulses and vanishes in a blink of an eye.)  
----------------------------------------   
Shinji (thinking): ...Asuka...  
----------------------------------------  
(It is Tokyo-3 as he had last seen it. It is a mere shell of its former glory, laying on creaking, weakened armored plates. Shinji can make out the Stairway in the distance and realizes that he is standing on a hillside near his school. The hot breath of the burning breeze slaps his cheeks and he shields his eyes to the Stairway's light.)  
Shinji (softly): Asuka?  
(Something big hits the hill close to Shinji and he is thrown to the ground by the sheer shock-wave that tears through the outskirts of the neo-city. Shinji turns his head slowly toward the impact site and sees a creature that freezes his blood. An Angel. That of which he has never seen before. It has a long, angular head with what looks like red, grinning lips. Long, white wings flutter about its back as it rises to its feet again. Shinji turns his eyes away from the sloped hillside and finds what remains of Unit 02 standing a short distance from the Angel.)  
Shinji (whimpering): Oh, Asuka...!  
(The EVA is hanging together literally by its armor. It has been stabbed repeatedly by the copies of the Lance of Longinsis, spattering its blood across city-blocks. It is missing an arm and one of its calves are hanging on by a thread of tendon. And...and...its right eyes have been destroyed by a stab wound. Shinji can feel the Second Child's pain as easily as if it were his own.)  
Asuka (her voice husky and hoarse over the external speakers): I...won't let you...do it...  
(Shinji looks at the building the Evangelion has dragged itself in front of. The school. Their school. The west wing has collapsed under what looks like a giant foot. The sadistic impression left by that simple gesture shakes Shinji to his soul.)  
(The Angel seems to grin wider as it leans away from the hillside and comes to its feet once more, a Lance of Longinsis is gripped tightly in its hand.)   
Shinji (cupping his hands, shouting to the girl): Asuka! Run! You can't fight that thing in your condition!  
(The EVA forces itself to stand on its injured leg and Shinji can see shaking shutter through its frame. Asuka is putting everything she is into this last battle. The red EVA's hand slowly reaches up to its remaining shoulder tower and pulls free a Progressive Knife.)  
Asuka (grimly): I have you where...I want you now. There is...no way I'm going to...let you damage this place...any longer.  
(The Angel hops down back onto a city-street. It stalks forward slowly, its head held low like the vulture is so resembles, its wings stretches out wide on either side of it. Unit 02 remains silent. Shinji suddenly remembers their first battle together on Tokyo-3 soil. It had been Asuka's "debut" battle and he had messed it up, according to the Second Child. She had been all to willing to rush head-long into the fight, without so much as a thought about strategy or the position of those around her.)  
(The contrast of the two fights are staggering for the Third Child.)  
Shinji (thinking): Asuka...you have grown so much. You...are so strong...  
(The Angel suddenly launches itself at Evangelion and Shinji gapes as Unit 02 doesn't move at all. He wonders frantically if she has passed out. The Lance of Longinsis...it's power is devastating. It would have been more than bio-feedback...)  
(Unit 02 suddenly moves as the Angel is about to connect with the Lance, slamming its forearm into the staff of the weapon, and guiding it to its side. The Progressive Knife follows through, ripping into the Angel's personal space. The AT Field flashes to life, but it is nothing to Asuka Langley Soryu's fury.)  
Asuka (shouting): Go to HELL, you monster!  
(The Knife sheers through the amber field and plunges into the rogue EVA's chest. The internal S2 engine screams as the blade buries itself in it. The Angel's neck arches in agony and Shinji can sense Asuka's savage grin. Then, as if angrily, the Angel's head lowers again and the Lance flashes forth. Asuka gasps at every plunge of the weapon as it lashes out at her EVA's chest, torso, legs, shoulders, severs the power cable to the back of her EVA, before the Angel finally goes silent.)  
(The Angel falls away from Unit 02, but the EVA remains crouched over the school, its hand braced against the basketball court. Its blood is pouring down on the school like rain, washing the building in crimson. Shinji screams Asuka's name and begins running towards the EVA.)  
Asuka (her thoughts foggy): That like is like...  
(The light pours down from the heavens and her brain is on fire. She screams and the Angel eases its way into her mind, devouring her thoughts, relishing her weakness.)  
Shinji (crying out as he stumbles over a bit of rubble): Asuka! Asuka! It's not real-  
Asuka (screaming, sobbing): No! Get out of my mind! Those memories are MINE!!  
Hikaru (softly, as she appears beside him): Shinji...you can't help her...  
Shinji (coming closer to the trembling EVA): I have to try!  
Hikaru (folding her hands before her and disappearing once more): ...  
(Shinji comes before the EVA and calls up to it.)  
Shinji (shouting): Asuka! PLEASE, answer me...  
Asuka (softly): ...get...out...  
Shinji: Asuka-  
Asuka (lashing out at him with her EVA): Go away! Get out of my head!  
Shinji (staggering just far enough to keep from begin crushed): ...Asuka...  
(Asuka is crying inconsolably about an Angel Attack that is taking place in her mind. His cries fall on deaf ears.)  
Shinji (bowing his head): ...Hikaru?  
Hikaru (her presence felt behind him): Yes, Shinji?  
Shinji (bitterly): Take me away from here. Take me to Misato.  
Hikaru (shaking her head): Okay, Shinji...  
(The two Children leave the world of self-hatred...)  
-----------------------------------  
Shinji: ...Misato...  
------------------------------------  
(The first thing Shinji recognizes is that it is very dark, but it isn't like the darkness of the Abyss. It is an indoors place...Misato's room. The air is moist...very moist and warm. The next thing he knows is the warm, moist heat is from sex. He can make out Misato's lustful groan and her rhythmic gasping.)  
Shinji (whispering past a dry throat): M-Misato...?  
(The sour odor of liquor and lots of it hits his nose and he covers the lower part of his face with his hand.)  
Shinji (thickly): What the hell is going on here?!  
Hikaru (gently): People do what they will with their worlds, Shinji. Where Asuka was punishing herself for perceived failures...well, Misato...um...  
Misato (on her back in the middle of her bed, the long-haired, naked form of Kaji on top of her): Oh...Kaji...hmmm...  
(Shinji can make out the naked breast of the Major beneath the pawing of the man on top of her and he turns away, blushing brightly.)  
Shinji (fumbling with his tongue, speaking over the panting): M-Misato! Uh...there is...uh...something I need-  
Misato (purring): Oh...Shinji...  
Shinji (turns his face forward and finds that not only is the man gone, but Misato crawling towards him, her naked form sleek and damp from her dreaming): M-Misato! What are you-?!  
Misato (caressing his calf with knowing fingers): You are still a virgin, aren't you?  
Shinji (taking a step back and finding a door behind him, preventing his escape...he can't find the handle): I am-I mean-MISATO! Don't touch me-  
(He jumps as he feels his body react to her fingers sliding over him.)  
Misato (coming up on her knees, her hair wild around her face): Oh...come on (giggle), Shinji... You are supposed to be a guy! I might not be Asuka-  
Shinji (his voice distinctly higher): Misato!!  
Misato (her breath on his cheek now, reeking of liquor and sex): But, I know you want it...every guy wants it! Let me show you all the pleasures a woman can give you...  
Shinji (groaning at what Misato was doing to him): Misato...!  
(Misato is kissing his neck and Shinji looks around frantically around for Hikaru. She is sitting on a chair in the corner and lifts a eyebrow in question when their eyes connect.)  
Hikaru (her thoughts flickering through his mind): What would you have me do? I am only a guide, not a gatekeeper.  
(Shinji wonders if it is just him or if there is an angry, jealous tone in the thought.)  
Shinji (turning his eyes back to Misato, who has a dreamy look in her eyes): M-MISato!  
Misato (her lips warm and soft on his flesh): Hmmm? Yes, sweetheart?   
Shinji (pushing at her and gasping when he finds his hands filled with some very warm, very delicate flesh): M-Misato, I NEED you!  
Misato (laughing loudly): Well, I knew THAT!  
Shinji (shaking his head violently): N-Not like that!  
Misato (giggling): Oh, come on! Don't play hard to get!  
Shinji (forcing a serious tone): Major, there is a job that needs to be done!  
(She is still all over him, but there is a sudden stillness in her that hadn't been there before.)  
Shinji (relaxing, trying to focus on his words, despite the feeling of Misato against him and the heaviness between his legs): The world...it has been destroyed, but there's still a chance. WE (something interesting happened down below) have to think of a way to get everything back the way it was-  
Misato (slowly drawing away from him): ...you don't like me.  
Shinji (gapping at the woman): ...huh?  
Misato (walking unsteadily back to her blankets): You are just like every...other man. You don't give a damn about me as a person.  
Shinji (shaking his head): No, no! Misato! I-I...I love you! That's why I want you to-  
Misato (continuing as if she hadn't heard him): Love you, then leave you. I didn't know you were like that, Shinji!  
(Misato sits back down on the mat, her naked front cast in velvet shadows before him. There is suddenly a large bottle of hard liquor in the Major's hand and she is drinking hard, the red liquid splashing down her chest and over her smooth belly.)  
Misato (disgust in her eyes): Just who do you think you are?! Get out!  
Shinji (reaching for her): M-Misato-  
(Shinji has to duck to keep from being hit in the head by a flying bottle. The sticky liquor splashes over his head and shoulders.)  
Misato (death in her voice): Out, now!  
(A moment later, another phantom is laying over her.)  
Hikaru (walking quietly over to the Third Child): S-Shinji...?  
(He is crying.)  
Shinji (sniffing, quietly): Take me to Rei...I have to see her.  
(Shinji leaves the world of self-distraction behind.)  
-----------------------------------------  
Shinji: ...Rei...  
-----------------------------------------  
Rei I (softly): Who are you?  
(Shinji blinks and looks about himself. He is standing in the middle of a great cathedral with soaring, blood-red stained-glass windows and oaken pews. The chapel is very elegant and there is the thick scent of sweet, spicy incense in the air. Vaulted ceilings rise up over him, seemingly going so high that the roof of the place surely scrapes the sky. White banners with crosses flutter down from the rafters, hiding and creating shadows at the same time.)   
Shinji (shaking his head and looking around): Wha...? Huh?  
Rei I (standing before him in her white plug suit, clashing with the tranquil setting): Who are you?  
Shinji (frowning): Rei? It's me? The Third Child...? Shinji?  
Rei I: ...?  
Voice (viciously snarling from behind): You...should not...have come here...!!  
(Shinji turns in time to see another Rei, but this one in a skin-tight, deepest-black bodysuit that seems to suck in the light from around it, revealing no shadow or sense of depth to the girl's slender body. Her red eyes are bright with an insanity that Shinji vaguely recalls when he had been tested in Unit 00's cockpit.)  
Rei I: ...?  
Rei II (her face distorted into a wicked grin as she crawls toward him down the aisle on all-fours): You! Child of HIM! Don't worry, I will EASE your pain!  
Rei I (coming to stand in front of him, her face set in a cold mask): You will not touch him. I don't know him, but it is wrong to spill red.  
Rei II (hissing): You weak fool! DOLL! TOY!! Move or I will rip your throat out!  
(There is a new pair of footsteps and Shinji turns his horrified eyes to the front of the chamber. A new Rei, this one wrapped in a pink kimono with a dusting violet flower petals splashed across its fabric, walks towards the Third Child. Her face is set in a calm, serene expression that he has come to know and love.)  
Shinji (whispering weakly): Rei...  
Rei III (quietly): Shinji...I was not expecting you to come to this place.  
Rei I (cocking her head to the side): You know this Child?  
Rei II (hopping up to balance herself on the balls of her feet on the back of a pew): Damnable, dangerous creature!  
Rei III (folding her hands within her kimono): Yes. Shinji...my light...my guideline...  
(Rei II hisses and lowers her head, as if she can make the young Ikari look at her burning, red eyes. Shinji focuses determinedly on the third Rei.)  
Shinji (softly): What is this place, Rei? Who are these others?  
(Rei III smiles gently and offers one of the pews to him.)  
Rei III (kindly): You must be tired. Why don't you rest?  
Shinji (shaking his head): No...Rei, I need your help.  
Rei I (blinking): Help?   
Rei II (spitting in her rage): NO help! None! There was no help for US! No HELP!!  
Rei III (closing her eyes as she rubs her lips in thought): I...cannot help you, Shinji.  
(Rei II laughs hysterically and falls backwards off her perch. Shinji glances back at the insane girl, then looks back to the Rei he knows well.)  
Shinji: Why not? What has happened, Rei?  
Rei III (folding her hands calmly before her): This is my place. I cannot leave.   
Shinji (spreading his hands before him): Rei...the world, it is gone!  
Rei III (her eyes seemingly burning in the stain-glass light): I know.  
Shinji (gaping at her): W-What?!  
Rei III (sighing): I know what this place is.  
Shinji (blinking): T-Then you are aware! You are not assimilated.  
Rei III: It does not matter.  
Shinji (excitedly): Of course it does! That means you know how things used to be! With you, perhaps we-  
Rei III (closing her eyes to him): Shinji...I'm not complete.  
Shinji: ...?  
Rei II (growling, her head peeking over the back of the pew): That's right, monster! We are the same! We are the SAME PERSON!!  
Shinji (whispering): Rei...is that true?  
Rei III (nodding): Yes. I am chained here by the fact that my Ego has been divided into its different layers. That Rei...  
(Rei I blinks in a confused manner when she is pointed at.)  
Rei III: ...is the original mind-set of my kind. She does not comprehend the world as normal humans would. She is the clean slate that Commander Ikari wished for.  
Rei I (softly): Where am I?  
Shinji: ...  
Rei III (looking at her second sister who draws back with a hiss): That (she points to Rei II) is my warrior self. The destroyed remains left behind by the Dummy Plug programming...  
Shinji (gasping): Dummy Plug...?!  
Rei II (snarling): Silence, insect!!   
Rei I (whispering): Do not yell. There is no need.  
(Rei II slinks out from behind the pew, her eyes glowing with a murderous light as she glares at the first sister.)  
Rei III (turning her eyes directly on the second): No.  
(The second sister flashes her teeth and bounds off into the shadows of the far walls. She disappears into the darkness and there is silence a moment later.)  
Shinji (shivering as he looks at the third sister once more): Rei...a-and you?  
Rei III (blinking): Me? I am...that which you have created, Shinji Ikari. You showed me kindness and...and an unfamiliar emotion.  
Shinji (taking a step closer to the suddenly blushing girl): ...'unfamiliar emotion?'  
Rei III (finally meeting his eyes, her gaze piercing his soul): Love.  
Shinji (trembling, reaching out for her): Rei...  
Rei III (shaking her head and stepping just out of his reach): But I must remain here. I am chained to this place more completely than I am to you, Third Child.  
Shinji (bracing his hand against a nearby pew): What am I to do...? I don't understand this place, Rei... I am lost.  
Rei III (shaking her head): You are not.  
Shinji (looking up at her): ...?  
Rei III (smiling kindly at him, causing his eyes to snap wide at her beauty): You understand what is needed. It is there, within you. I know it.   
Shinji (whispering, bowing his head): Rei...  
(Rei III comes to Shinji and wraps her delicate arms around his shoulders. Her lips burn as she kisses his forehead.)  
Rei III (softly, for his ears only): Don't lose your faith in that which you have learned.  
(Shinji nods, unable to speak. He turns and looks at Rei I, who is still gazing at him with no expression other than confusion in her eyes. He glances up at the sound of scratching on the walls and he sees Rei II luring within the network of wood and stone at the higher reaches of the chapel.)  
Shinji (softly): Hikaru?  
Hikaru (appearing sitting cross-legged in one of the pews, her eyes bright): Yes?  
Shinji (walking toward the double doors at the back of the church): Come, let's go.  
Hikaru (nodding as she hops out of the pew and hurries after him): Coming!  
(Shinji opens the doors and the brightest light pours in from the outside. A second later, Shinji and Hikaru are gone from the world of Man's creations.)  
---------------------------------------   
Shinji: ...Hikaru...  
Hikaru (shaking her head, drawing away): N-No! Shinji! I don't want you to see this-  
---------------------------------------  
(Shinji is standing in the middle of a small, control room like those at NERV Central. He can see men and women walking around in unfamiliar uniforms. He suddenly sees one Japanese man walking around the computer consoles. His dark hair is long, but he doesn't look unkept. Shinji sees something about the man that he recognizes.)  
Shinji (thinking, struck by the sudden resemblance): ...Hikaru?  
Hikaru (a shadow of her former self, her eyes bright with unshed tears): I don't want you to see this, Shinji.  
Shinji (glancing at her wispy form): This is your inner-most world, Hikaru? What is it here that chains you?   
(Hikaru shakes her head slowly, unable to meet his eyes.)  
Tech: We are ready to begin, Dr. Sohma.   
(Shinji looks past Hikaru's relative and past the shielded-glass he can see Unit 04 hanging limply in reinforced restrains against the wall. Every time Shinji witnesses an activation test, he gets a thrill of terror, as if the chances are stacked against humanity. Knowing what he does of the Evangelions now, he can understand those past emotions. It is almost like trying to control a raging bull with a length of kite string!)  
Ryo (crossing his arms over his chest): Begin activation test.  
(He glances at the immobile EVA and walks over to one of the control plans and hits a switch.)  
Ryo (looking at the EVA as he speaks): Hikaru? How are you doing in there, baby sister?  
Hikaru (her voice coming up over the speakers): I-I'm fine...  
Ryo (raising a brow at the nervousness in the girl's voice): Oh, really...?  
Hikaru (laughing a little nervously): Okay...I'm a little scared...  
Ryo (smiling): Don't worry...this will all be over soon. Tell you what? After this, you, Natasha, and I will sit down and have a nice dinner together! How does that sound?  
Hikaru (softly): It sounds good, big brother.   
Tech A (quietly): Approaching Borderline, sir.   
Tech B (typing in a few commands at his console): All readings are within expected parameters.  
(Ryo folds his hands behind his back, his ring catching Shinji's attention. The Third Child is breathing a little harder. Something is about to happen. He looks over to check Hikaru's expression, but the girl is gone.)  
Ryo: Very good-  
(The EVA beyond the glass shifts in its restrains. He narrows his eyes.)  
Ryo (frowning): What-?  
Tech A (shouting): Sir! Signals are reversing! Something is interfering with the test!  
Ryo (gasping, running toward the window): Hikaru!  
(The EVA begins to thrash in its bonds. Its neck flexes and frustrated growls echo in the white-paneled chamber. With a sudden howl it grips its arms from the reinforced bonds in the wall. Shrapnel pelts the armored walls and crack the glass.)  
Tech B (jumping up from her console): Sir! We need to retreat! The emergency shutdown has been activated, but there is no way that those windows will stand up to that thing's fury!  
Ryo (grabbing a microphone from one of the abandoned desks): Hikaru! Hikaru! Are you okay?! Are you there?!  
Hikaru (her voice vague and weak): B-Big Brother...  
(The EVA suddenly rips its right leg out of the wall and lifts its head. It is staring right at Ryo through the glass.)  
Hikaru (hysterical): No! Big Brother! Run-!  
(Her transmission is cut off as she screams, then the line goes dead. The Evangelion howls and the remaining restraints shatter like ice. As the last restrain falls away, the power cord flares away from the raging Evangelion. The EVA staggers into the center of the containment chamber and Shinji glances frantically at the Battery Life clock against the wall. Fifteen seconds remaining.)  
Shinji (looking back at Hikaru's older brother, shouting): Run!  
(The older man doesn't seem to hear Shinji as he takes a slow step back from the spider-web cracked glass, not so much as to run away but more in awe.)  
Ryo (whispering thickly): I never...knew...never understood... My poor...poor...baby sister...  
(Unit 04 launches itself toward the observation deck, as if it knows that its power is going to be gone in a moment. Its metal-shod fist flies at the window and it splinters. Shards of glass hurl at Ryo, but the man doesn't move, even as his face and body are sliced. Even as his blood trails down his face. The EVA dives into a frenzy, pounding at the glass hatefully, caving in the single barrier between it and its master.)  
Ryo (lifting his head to gaze into the EVA's insane gaze): I understand...everything now...  
(Shinji jumps forward, screaming for Ryo to step back, but his reaching hands fall through Dr. Sohma's flesh. Tears are in the Third Child's eyes as he sees the utter defeat and acceptance fill the man's eyes. Even as he sees this, young Ikari knows that Hikaru is sobbing at her controls, desperately trying to pull the madness-driven EVA back. He knows the helplessness the Sixth Child is feeling now. He knows that there is nothing she can do either. His knees fail him and he falls against a nearby control console. He thinks of Unit 03...)  
(Unit 04 reaches out and Ryo doesn't move. The EVA's shaking hand wraps around the frail human and its eyes are filled with cruel delight. That is when the door opens and a gasping Natasha Karpov staggers into the room. When she sees Ryo in the grasp of the insane monster, she cries out hopelessly.)  
Natasha (screaming): Ryo! No!  
Ryo (quietly, somehow his voice audible over the EVA's growling): I understand now...Natasha. Please...take care of Hikaru...  
Natasha (running toward Dr. Sohma): No! God, no! You can't ask this of me! RYO!!!  
(He smiles and his face vanishes in a wash of blood...)  
-----------------  
(A girl...is crying...)  
(Shinji finds her on a stone bench and he thinks of the Traditional Arts Museum. She is weeping into her hands, the skirt of her school uniform tucked around her thighs. He pauses and looks down at his hand where he holds Ryo's ring. It had been the last thing that Hikaru had given him before she had sacrificed herself for him.)  
Natasha (coldly): He gave himself to Evangelion Unit 04 so that Hikaru could safely pilot it.  
(Shinji looks over at the Russian Lieutenant. Her eyes are blank of any emotion...much like the first Rei.)  
Shinji (softly): You aren't...complete. You are-  
Natasha: I am a memory, Third Child. I am hardly a complex ego such as you...and her.  
Shinji (gazing back at Hikaru): She has suffered a lot...  
Natasha: Yes. I did what I could for her. At least she forgot about what happened to her family.  
Shinji (shivering): Her...family?  
Natasha (folding her hands distantly behind her back): SEELE is thorough. In order to create a Child with her talents and to insert her into the correct position for advancement...she was to lose all that she held dear.  
Shinji (thickly): Her dreams...  
Natasha (nodding): Exactly. While it is possible to forget for survival's sake, such a powerful memory is not something you can destroy by just not facing it.  
Shinji (taking a step toward the girl): You are wrong...  
Natasha: ...?  
Shinji (glancing back at the Lieutenant, his eyes gentle): She did not lose everything she held dear... She had you.  
(The Russian woman's eyes widen and she watches Shinji go to the Sixth Child. Then she shakes her head and fades away.)  
Shinji (quietly): Hikaru...?  
Hikaru (wetly): Now you know. I didn't want you to...  
Shinji (sitting down next to the girl): Why? You were not at fault there.  
Hikaru (folding her hands in her lap): Oh, Shinji... My brother-  
Shinji (sighing): Your brother gave his life to protect you from the beast within your EVA. My mother did the same.   
Hikaru: ...  
Shinji: There is no right or wrong here. People who loved us very much saw to it that we would have protection against something very dangerous...very powerful.  
Hikaru (looking over at the Third Child, her eyes red): ...  
Shinji (shuffling his feet against the cobblestones of the place): My mother is gone...I know that now. She was a beautiful, gentle soul and I wish that she had never had to do combat with such demon to keep me safe.  
(Pause)  
Shinji (smiling over at the girl): But it seems like loved ones older than us often do things that are for our own good...even if we don't want it or wish for it.  
(Hikaru's eyes widen, then she sniffs, wiping away the tears with the backs of her hands. She then reaches out and takes Shinji's hands in her own.)  
Hikaru (closing her eyes as she presses her forehead to his): Come now...I believe in you.  
(The world of deadly secrets fades away...)  
--------------------------------------  
(Shinji gazes about himself, never having seen this place before. He is standing in the middle of a overgrown field at the edge of a cliff. The sun is bright overhead and bugs are buzzing through the air. Behind him, he can see hundreds of thousands of flowers spotting the field, some in colors he has never seen before.)  
Hikaru (of to the side): Now, is the time for your choice, Shinji.  
Shinji (blinking as he glances at her): M-My choice?  
Hikaru (smiling sadly, folding her hands before her waist): Yes. You must decide the fate of the world.  
Shinji (his eyes flaring wide): B-But-  
(They are suddenly not alone and Shinji glances around. His cheeks burn as he sees that Asuka, Rei, and Misato are on three sides of him, all of them nude. Their eyes are blank, telling him that they are not complex entities as he and Hikaru are.)  
Shinji (looking frantically at Hikaru): H-Hikaru! What is this?!   
Hikaru (looking away so the breeze catches her hair and a few strands flutter before her face): It is your choice.  
Shinji (glancing at Asuka, his eyes careful to stay on her face): A-Asuka...what is this?  
Asuka (her eyes focusing on him): You must choose one of us, Shinji. In us are your only choices. Join with me and the world will be as it is.  
Third Impact.  
Asuka (lifting her hand to him): Come with me...to our destroyed world...  
(Shinji turns his eyes from her and looks to Rei.)  
Rei (her eyes focusing on him): Join with me, Ikari. Be one with me mind, body, and soul.   
Abyss.  
Rei (reaching out for him with her hand): Come with me...to the place Beyond.  
(Shinji feels a shiver. He knows that the Abyss will drain him of his thoughts and feelings. He will become...a dream.)  
(He looks to Misato.)  
Misato (her eyes focusing on him): Join with me, Shinji and all will be as it was.  
Looped experiences.  
Misato (reaching for him with her hand): Come with me...to the world of past knowledge.  
(Shinji trembles as he gazes into each of their eyes...loving each of them...hating each of them. His choice is...no choice at all. Each choice isn't perfect and he will die a death in each one. He could go to the world after the Third Impact, the dreaming, fading away world of the Abyss, or the world of his past experiences, lived to insanity.)  
Shinji (turning desperate eyes to Hikaru): Hikaru...what...?  
Hikaru (shaking her head): ...I cannot help you...this is your choice...just remember where you are...  
(FLASHBACK: Hikaru (continuing kindly): I don't understand it all...but this is a place of infinite possibilities...)  
Shinji (his eyes going hard and he looks at each lady in turn): This is not my choice.  
The Three Choices (moaning): Shinji...  
(He steps back from their reaching hands and finds himself at the edge of this world. Below, there is nothing but mist and darkness. It would be his death for sure if he fell.)  
Shinji (his eyes widening, speaking slowly): 'A place of infinite possibilities...' There is a choice that I haven't been given...  
(Shinji looks up at the three reaching for him, the fourth with her heart in her eyes. He gives them all a tender smile.)  
Shinji (quietly): With my hands in the future and the past, my decision is that that world chooses its own fate.   
Hikaru (gasping, staggering toward him): Shinji! You can't run from this-  
Shinji (shaking his head as he steps away from the cliff): I'm not running away. For the first time in my whole life...I believe I'm taking complete responsibility.  
(And he slips from the cliff to the sound of Hikaru's cry. The world spins away from Shinji and he lays back. The mists reach up to claim him and all is dark.)  
*  
  
*   
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
I remember...  
I remember...  
My mother's touch when I was sick...   
My dad's scratchy beard... I always had a nightlight on...  
Snow on my face... Cherry-blossoms falling...  
Ohhhh...those scary movies...I don't know why I went to see them!  
My car slipping on the wet asphalt! God, I was frightening for my life!  
When Grandma died...   
I was so sad... He smiled at me...  
I was so HAPPY!  
She said yes!  
I will never drink again I swear! That mountain is so beautiful in the sunlight...  
My life's work... My life story... Flowers in bloom... I never knew..... I wish she hadn't told me!   
He had the sweetest smile! She had the cutest laugh..... Beautiful..... Ugly.... Peace... War  
You can't have one without the other...  
Politics...   
You are always looking for reasons...   
Stop thinking down there!   
Look at me. See me. Love ME!!   
Love  
Hate  
LOVEHATE  
LOVEHATE  
LOVE...  
And when God saw his Children, he saw that they were Good. He closed his eyes and let them just live.......  
I don't believe it....he did it...  
-------------------------------------  
Girl (giggling): You are always so melodramatic...I wonder if you are always going to be like that.  
Shinji: ...?  
(He is still falling, but the air around him isn't so cold anymore. There is a warmth that begins to radiate on his face. He opens his eyes. For so long there has been only darkness. Something is there now. In this place beyond the Abyss, in this complete darkness of his own choosing, he didn't think that he would ever see light again. Her face is so kind, so beautiful.  
Shinji (thinking, gazing into her eyes): Just like...her mother...  
Girl (hovering before his free-falling body): How does it feel?   
Shinji (groggy, blinking at her): How does what feel?  
Girl (shrugging, her dark, auburn hair flowing about her aggressive, yet sweet face): To throw everything away, yet knowing somewhere that you won?  
Shinji (weakly, reaching for the small girl): I don't understand...who are you...?  
Girl (laughing as she takes his hand in hers and an explosion of burning white feathers surround him): Someone you hold dear...or will. I was never good with timelines!  
Shinji (whispering): You are...  
Your last chance.  
(The girl's eyes are too knowledgeable for a child's. The voice in his head and the girl are connected...)  
Shinji (softly as the girl's wings fold around him): How can I trust you?  
You are going to have to show my unconscious mind the meaning of you humans.   
(Pause.)  
Shinji Ikari...   
...the Third Child...  
...you don't know the future yet you smile...  
Shinji (closing his eyes, chuckling as he rests his head against his own flesh's narrow chest): Neither do you. I have faith now, daughter...  
Good.  
---------------------------------  
(The Second Child gasps as she staggers away from the rogue EVA. There are only four left, but her strength is failing her. She can see Ayanami using the Lance of Longinsis like a staff, but she is too weakened by the constant combat. And Touji...well, Touji is all but useless. Damned rookie....)  
Asuka (growling as she drags her EVA into combat stance, feet wide apart): I can't believe we are being destroyed by such pathetic Angels...  
(The Angel before her grins and takes a step toward her its Lance thrusting toward her.)  
(It has been a second since that beast of an Evangelion lifted into the Abyss. Asuka knows death is coming for them all. She hears the crackle of power and the deep humming. That is when a beam of pure gold energy falls from the sky and vaporizes the white Angel before her eyes. Unit 02 falls to one knee and shields its eyes. Then, it slowly lifts its head to gaze skyward. The Abyss...is gone. In its place, the modified Unit 01 hovers over the ruined Tokyo-3 like an angel of death. Its burning wings extend miles into the sky, licking around the white Evangelion.)  
Asuka (whispering): Mein Gott...  
(Unit 01 turns its head slowly down toward the scene below. The Beast grins and the wings lash out at the rogue EVAs. The rogues step away from their opponents and hiss at the modified EVA. They never had a chance. The golden wings flash about Tokyo-3 with the precision of a surgical knife, carving the Angels to shreds in seconds.)  
Asuka (thickly): S-Shinji?  
(The EVA begins to lower itself to an area clear of buildings. In fact, it is the same area that was Sector 27 just before the hole made by the Stairway blasted it away just a little while before. Deep down below, the lake of the Geo-Front is bathed in real sunlight for the first time since its creation. Its buildings and the waters of the lake are washed in rose, raining down on the Man-made world like a blessing. The three Evangelions begin to work their way toward Unit 01's landing site.)  
Touji (his tired face appearing on Asuka's screen): What...now?   
Asuka (shaking her head, her voice strangely without malice): How should I know?  
Touji (his eyes snapping wide at the sight of the girl): A-Asuka!  
Asuka (frowning): What?  
Touji (blinking): Y-Your face!  
(Asuka remembers the burning shear of the Angel's Lance as it pierced her eye. She blinks her eyes and finds that both eyes are whole.)  
Asuka (reaching for the control handle to change her video pickup source, to view herself, thinking): I still feel some pain...but, I'm not blinded, what...?  
(Her own face flashes up before her eyes and she gasps. Her face is not bloodied anymore. She looks down and finds no blood in the LCL. Something has happened. She looks up at the image again and looks closer at her face.)  
Asuka (reaching up with trembling hands): M-My eye...  
(While her eye is whole, it has changed in color. Her undamaged eye is blue, while her other eye is green. The effect is jarring. Asuka closes both eyes and sighs.)  
Touji (grimacing, waiting for the Second Child to scream at him): A-Asuka? Are you okay?  
Asuka: I'm fine...  
Touji (his eyes huge): Really?  
Asuka (her eyes cracking open, deadly quiet): You don't believe me?  
Touji: Frankly? No.  
Asuka (snapping as she kills his video feed): Well, you are an idiot! Get OUT of my face!  
(His shocked face vanishes from her screen and she focuses walking. Her EVA is still damaged, missing one arm and wounded in many places.)  
Asuka (sighing again): Well, this world isn't perfect, but it is all we have...  
(Her eyes lift and she finds that the modified EVA has landed and has something in its cupped palms.)  
Asuka (her eyes snapping wide and she leans forward hard in her seat): Shinji!  
-----------------------------  
(The sun is setting as Asuka struggles across the broken landscape to the kneeling EVA. Its lightning-like wings flicker and waver quietly overhead, blurring against the deep red sun. The EVA's head is bowed and its cupped hands are held low as if it were just lifting sand from a beach. Rei is already there, climbing carefully up onto the platform formed by the hands. Touji...well, he's still trying to figure out how to get out of his EVA.)  
Asuka (limping up to the hands, bracing herself against the rock-hard surface, shouting up): Rei! How is he?! How is that moron?!  
Rei (her voice floating down from above): ...he's not breathing...  
Asuka (whispering): No...Goddamn it!  
(Despite her pain, despite everything, Asuka drags herself up onto the hands. Rei is cradling his head, but Asuka pushes the girl away. She doesn't seem to know what to do anyway.)  
Asuka (sharply): Shinji! SHINJI!!  
(He is naked, but she is willing to forget that for now. She reaches down and grabs him by his shoulders.)  
Asuka (viciously): You are not going to die on me!  
(Silence)  
Asuka (sniffing): You cannot do this to me!  
(Rei sits back on her heels and looks to the sky. Her eyes recognize something and she watches.)  
Asuka (crying out): You CAN'T LEAVE ME!!   
(She leans down and presses her mouth over his. She breathes into his body, let's his body live.)  
Asuka (her eyes closed, tears leaking in between her closed lids, whispering against his lips): Y-You can't leave me alone...please...please...  
(His hand is very gentle against the side of her face, stroking a long lock of her hair back over her ear.)  
Shinji (softly, his eyes warm and brown): You...girls...sure do cry a lot...  
Asuka (whispering): S-Shinji?  
(She promptly bursts into tears, not caring anymore of he sees her as weak. If he dares to think such a thing, she will have to kick his ass...later. For now, she buries her face in his bare chest and cries. He is alive.)  
Rei (softly): Welcome back, Shinji.  
(Rei comes to kneel next to him and brushes his hair back from his forehead with her hand.)  
Shinji (whispering): I just...wanted to be with all of you again...  
(He can hear Touji panting in the distance, running over to them. He strokes the back of Asuka's head gently as he has always wanted to. Overhead, the burning wings of the modified EVA fade away and the actual Unit 01 shutters and turns to stone. It will be a reminder...to all who witness it...a memorial. Shinji's eyes turn up to the neon violet, red, and yellow skies and he wonders if it is just his imagination or if he sees Hikaru in her flowing kimono in the clouds.)  
-------------------------------  
(It is the place she first brought Shinji to see Tokyo-3 in all of its glory. It isn't much more than a pile of scattered rubble now, but the sunset is still spectacular. She braces her hands against the guardrail and lets the wind play with her dark hair. She hears footsteps and she looks over her shoulder. Shinji is standing there, real and alive. Her is wearing an oversized shirt and an pair of cargo pants some soldier from NERV must have lent him. Just about everyone has forgotten...except for the Children and a few others. But still, there is the unconscious gratefulness in their eyes as they look at the Third Child. There aren't many people like him in the world.)  
Misato (softly): Shinji...  
Shinji (smiling as he struggled with the length of the pants): Hello, Misato...  
Misato (blushing): I-I'm sorry...about...before. I don't know what happened...  
(Shinji shakes his head and comes up beside her. Misato turns her head away from the sunset and studies the young boy in her charge. He is...different now. He probably remembers everything, but he also gained something else: responsibility. Responsibility and strength. There are probably military guys that would kill for that information now. Who knows what the UN will do now? On her way out of NERV Central, she had gotten a report that the strike force that had come into the Command Center had been found out in a rice field somewhere, confused and without memory. She grins when she looks at Shinji, knowing that there had only been a very few people in the entirety of humanity that could have changed the truth like that.)  
Misato: So, where is everyone else?  
Shinji (glancing over at her out of the corner of his eye): Sleeping. Kensuke had a few extra sleeping bags and set them up in the hills, considering NERV Central is falling apart at the seams. Besides, everyone wanted to be under the sky for once. Everyone passed out...even Asuka in time.  
Misato (leaning a hip against the rail): How is she? I mean...she did go through a lot.  
(Shinji sighs and his face clouds over.)  
Shinji (softly): She has got a few scars now. There was only so much that could be done in the end. Ritsuko had to give her some sedatives for the ghost pains she is getting from time to time. I-I wish I had been there for her-  
Misato (firmly): Shinji, you did everything you could have done. Asuka is a strong girl, she will be fine.  
Shinji (chuckling): I know this...   
(There is silence for a moment and the night birds begin their individual songs. Shinji closes his eyes at the beauty of it. People have good memories.)  
Shinji (quietly): Misato...?  
Misato: Hmmm?  
Shinji (softly): I wish I hadn't had to do some of the things I did...  
Misato: Shinji, I'm so sorry-  
Shinji (looking up at her): But I'm glad that you are all here. I couldn't...I couldn't have gone on without you.  
(Misato feels her eyes going hot at the emotion in Shinji's eyes. She isn't the best person in the world, yet he loves her. She murmurs softly and takes him in her arms. His arms slip around her waist and she feels the hotness of his tears against her neck. She rocks him slowly in her arms and looks out at the ruined cityscape once more. She sees the lone memorial statue at the far corner of the once great city and she feels a little of his pain.)  
Misato (gently): We are all here for you, Shinji. We always will be.  
Shinji (nodding): I know...  
(He gives a little half-laugh, half-sob and looks at her.)  
Shinji (wiping his tears away, feeling a little silly): We had better get back... Father said that we will need to be careful for now on... He also said it is time to rebuild...to make a home for Mankind.  
(Shinji shakes his head.)  
Shinji: He said that he can't see the future anymore...and I understand what he means...now.  
Misato: ...  
Shinji (taking a step away from her): But, I have a feeling that everything is going to be different now.  
Misato (raising an eyebrow at that): Shinji?  
Shinji (taking her hand in his): We are still here, aren't we? With the power of the Abyss, anyone could have created anything...but...  
(He looks to the sunset one last time.)  
Shinji (giving Misato's hand a squeeze): We are here, to live our lives.  
Misato (sighing): Shinji...  
Shinji (beginning to walk with Misato): It is time to live as we were meant to.  
(The two walk down the cracked, mountain-side road and they both know that the future is not foreseen, but entirely open to them and in the end...that is all that really matters.)  
--------------  
THE END   
Author's Notes:  
It was said by some that it couldn't be done. Whether you loved it or you hated it, I was able to complete the SBTA series with a final chapter.  
I know that there were people that wanted me to go in several different directions, especially with Shinji's love interest. It might seem a bit cliché by now, but this was the vision I got when I decided to start this series. I knew that Hikaru was going to die, but not. I knew that Rei was going to change, but I wasn't quite sure in what way. I suppose that sometimes, it is best to just let the story lead itself.  
Something that might not come through clearly is perhaps the words in italics. Any time in this Chapter that there were words in italics, it marked words being communicated by Lillith. What you make of that last scene with italics is completely up to you. Whether I am going to expand this series at a later date, I will just have to wait and see.  
It should probably also be noted that Natasha's reasons for hunting the members of SEELE is that she was ordered to do so by Commander Ikari. This was his retaliation for the last Angel Attack.   
For those of you measuring this against EoE, forget it. I have never seen the movie (though I did have the chance to buy a bootleg copy, but I didn't trust the store and...well, that's another story!). I had my own idea of what I wanted the end to look like and I think I came pretty close to my original idea from a year-and-a-half ago (God, has it been that long?!).   
I know there are probably some questions I didn't answer and some loose ends I didn't tie up, but I may have a second series in the future... I'm not sure.  
I would like to thank all the authors and readers that supported me during this massive effort, especially those last few who wrote in to me in this last month. You guys are probably the reason this chapter is complete!  
As always and forever, comments and concerns are loved and welcomed. You can get a hold of me at omnidragon@tokyo-3.com   
I sincerely do hope that you enjoyed this last chapter of "Step Beyond the Abyss" and, if all goes according to plan, will meet up with you all again someday!   
Thank you,  
N. T. Martin  



End file.
